Wings
by DreamerOfTheDay
Summary: Castiel has reluctantly accepted responsibility for his family cafe, Wings. Not only is he stuck working a job he's unsure he wants, the appearance of an incredibly attractive stranger confuses his life even more/Dean has moved for what he hopes is the final time, finally meeting someone that he feels a truly profound bond with. But will his past catch up to him as usual? AU, m/m
1. Castiel – Day One

_Castiel – Day One, in which he falls unknowingly in love._

"Hey Cas," called Anna, raising her voice so that she could be heard over the coffee grinder, "turn it up! I love this song!"

Castiel made his way over to the speaker system at the head of the coffee store counter. The beat had kicked in, and some 'ooohs' were being drawn out signalling the beginning of the main chorus. The dial rotated slightly to the right, the audio becoming loud enough to be heard over the top of the general hubbub of the coffee store that Castiel worked at, called 'Wings.'

Wings was family owned, ever since Castiel's family had made their way to this town – though that was very long ago, before his time. Himmendale was where he grew up under the tutelage of his increasingly distant father.

Cas new this song; he knew it well. It was one of his favorites. "_Where have all the good men gone and where are all the gods_," he sang. He wasn't too bad, if he said so himself.

"Where's the streetwise Hercules, to fight the rising odds," continued Anna. "Isn't there a white night, upon a fiery steed?" Anna thought she was a pretty good singer too. Thankfully, they weren't too bad in truth, but they never could quite reach the tonal heights of Bonnie Tyler.

Castiel put his hands on his hips, tapping his feet in time with the beat whilst practically screaming the next few lyrics, "late at night I toss and I turn and I dream of what I need!"

Anna and Castiel got up in each other's faces, holding a faux microphone in their hands, ready to belt out the lyrics of the chorus.

"I need a hero! I'm holding out for a hero 'til the end of the night! He's gotta be strong, and he's gotta be fast, and he's gotta be fresh from the fight! I need a heroooooooo," the two of them screamed together, drawing a few mildly amused glances from the regular customers. "I'm holding out for—"

"Working hard as always, I see," sneered Michael, the second oldest brother to Castiel and Anna. He cranked the volume right down, making it almost completely inaudible. "I'm beginning to wonder if leaving you two in charge of this place was a good idea."

Wings had been in the family for as long as Castiel could remember. He'd been told that the café had been passed down through generations, but ever since their father had left them behind for unknown reasons, the ownership of the place had been left up in the air. The eldest sibling, Luc, had managed the place for a few years until he had decided that it was time to move on. They hadn't seen him since he'd left. After that, Michael had taken his place as the show-runner, but now he too had decided that he wanted to leave. It was up to Castiel and Anna now.

Michael was always so proud, so glad to have taken his father's place, however brief it was. Castiel always had trouble with how he stood in his brother's eyes, sensing the rivalry but almost never feeling love or kinship. In many ways, Cas was the odd one out in the family - he never clicked with anyone save for Anna, and he always seemed to be bickering with the men of the family.

"Worry not, brother," replied Castiel, trying to hide his displeasure. "Anna has almost completed her barista course, and I'm willing to put in the necessary hours to complete my patisserie training. I've put up a sign informing people that we are seeking out new staff, and I expect that we should be filing applicants soon. Is there anything else you need before you leave?"

"Very good, I shall-"

"See you later, then," snapped Castiel, walking through the large, swinging silver doors that gave way to the kitchen.

Anna apologised on Castiel's behalf, before finalising everything and going over it all one last time. "Be safe, Michael," she said gently.

He smiled regally at her, managing to look every bit as self-righteous as Lucifer did the day he left. "Do not screw this place up. If you do, I will return. Goodbye."

Anna returned to the kitchen, placing a comforting arm around her brother and squeezing him gently. "I'm sorry Cas, but you know how he is. Do you at least try to get along with him? Or any of our brothers?"

"No," groaned Castiel, pressing his thumb and forefinger to his temples, "I gave up on that a long time ago. Why do you apologise for me?"

Anna's voice begun to crack, wavering with emotion. "I just… want us to be happy like we were before our father left."

Castiel felt guilt creep slowly through him, but he chose not to show it. "I understand where you're coming from Anna, I really do. But do you see things the way I do?"

"I know Cas, but," Anna looked through the peephole and noticed a small queue forming at the register, "we can talk about this at home, we need to get back to work."

Castiel nodded, getting to work on the pile of dishes that was building up by the sink. After his encounter with Michael, he felt slightly agitated and felt that he couldn't deal with customers for a few moments. His hands expertly wiped and stacked, wiped and stacked, until the pile had vanished and the dishwasher was ready to be turned on. Castiel reached up and heaved on the metal bar, lowering the top of the machine until it closed with a faint *click*before it emitted its usual whirring sound as the water sprayed about inside.

Castiel took a deep breath to calm himself, something that only worked very slightly, then pushed the silver doors open with a smile (unless you knew him well, you would not be able to tell that this was his fake smile).

Anna had taken care of the people that had lined up and was wiping down the machine by the time Cas returned to her. "Do you mind if I leave a few minutes early? I need to meet a friend and I wanna pick up some flowers for her on the way."

Right. Anna's best friend had just lost her grandmother, Castiel recalled. He cast his gaze over the café, evaluating whether or not he could serve everyone efficiently by himself. "I'll see you later sister. Give Charlie my condolences."

Anna gave Castiel a light peck on the cheek and picked up her bag and keys before hurrying out of the shop door.

Two women who frequented Wings made their way to the counter and handed Castiel their empty mugs. "Thank you, my angel," the first one said with a sly wink, "the coffees were perfect."

Castiel's father was big on the biblical symbology – hence the angelic names for all his children, and the gentle nods to the text in the menu and theme of the café. Every employee was referred to as an Angel, each one of them ranked differently depending on what kinds of things they did at work.

Cas smiled. "I'm glad you've enjoyed them. May I get you anything else?"

"Two large lattes please, for takeaway, thank you."

Castiel expertly whipped up the two coffees, snapped on the lid and placed them into a carry tray, "That'll be seven dollars," he said as he slid the tray across the bench. These two women were some of his favourite customers, and though they knew that Cas was 'fruitier than Carmen Miranda's favourite hat' (as Gabriel often put it) they consistently exchanged flirty banter.

The clock informed Castiel that it was five minutes until closing time, so he got to work turning putting away the remaining pastries. After that, he removed the tray from the coffee machine and brought it into the kitchen so he could wash it down.

"Hello!" someone called out. Castiel peered through the peephole and spotted a man who appeared to be in his early forties waiting at the counter, rapping his fingertips along the bench impatiently.

"Sorry, we're actually closing up now," he said to the man.

"Excuse me?" snapped the stranger. "I just watched two women walk out of here carrying two coffees."

Why me? Castiel thought. "Yes, Sir, but that was several minutes ago. I've already begun dismantling the machine."

"I don't care," growled the man. "The shop window says you close at half-five. Now your clock up there says I've still got a couple of minutes to go. So make me a damn cappuccino."

Normally, Castiel would be ready to reply with a handful of sass and a few choice words, but he was too tired to argue. "Fine."

By the time Castiel had returned the machine to a usable state and made the coffee, it was seven minutes past close up time. "Here. Four dollars."

The man threw the change at Castiel then spun on his heel and stormed out the door.

"Assbutt," Castiel muttered to himself.

He went through the regular motions once again, sighing with relief when his tasks were completed. Anna, unlike Gabriel, was very good at keeping everything generally tidy as she moved along, meaning less work for whoever closed up at the end of the day. Man, did Castiel hate working with his moronic prankster brother.

For the final bit of the cleanup, Castiel switched the door sign to closed, raised the volume on the stereo until it filled the entire shop with the garage rock sounds of Cage the Elephant, and then proceeded to give everything a once-over wipe down.

Due to the intensity of the music, Castiel did not hear the door swinging open, nor did he hear the customer slamming his coffee down on the counter, practically frothing at the mouth with anger.

Castiel turned, almost dropping the ceramic plate in fright as he spotted the man.

"This coffee is fucking cold," he shouted. "I want a refund!"

"I- I'm sorry sir, but I've put the money away and the register is locked," replied Cas.

The man was beginning to turn a livid shade of red. "Then make me another damn coffee!"

"I'm afraid I cannot do that. The machine has been completely turned off. Would you kindly leave the shop now?"

The man pushed his way behind the counter and stepped up to Castiel, taking a fistful of shirt in his hand. "You better give me my damn money back, you little asshole, or else!" growled the man, drawing his fist back to strike. Castiel could smell some very potent alcohol on his breath.

Suddenly, someone ripped the man from Castiel and tossed him to the ground. "Or else what?" he shouted back.

The angry customer jumped to his feet and swung at Castiel's saviour, but he ducked under the swings and struck the older man hard in the gut.

"I suggest you leave, now," added Castiel's new hero, coolly.

The man left without further question, after which Castiel whimpered slightly.

"Hey, he's gone. You're alright now. What's your name?" asked the man.

"C-Castiel. Cas," he stammered.

The man laughed. "I'm Dean," he replied, holding out his hand.

Cas practically shivered at the Dean's touch, the warm and strong hands gripping his firmly. He looked into Dean's brilliant green eyes, losing himself momentarily.

"Hey, are you okay?" asked Dean, looking concerned.

"Yes. Just a bit… flustered," replied Castiel. Whether he was flustered because of the attack, or flustered because of the sudden surge of attraction for the man, Cas could not tell.

"You need a ride home?"

Castiel really did not want to walk home, but he couldn't see himself asking for a ride either. "No, thank you, I will walk."

"Aww, don't be an idiot. I'll give ya a ride. I got nothin' else to do," grinned Dean.

"I really cannot ask you to do this for me, but…" replied Cas, acquiescing at last. "It is much appreciated."

"Hey, no problem."

The ten minute car ride from the café to Castiel's home was largely uneventful save for a few things: The first was that Wings had found its newest angel in the form of Dean Winchester, a young man who had recently moved into town with his younger brother.

The second thing was that it seemed as though Dean acted as both a brother and a father to Sam, whom they had picked up from school on the way back to Castiel's home. Sam liked Cage the Elephant too. His favourite song was 'Indy Kidz,' because he felt it accurately described his view on most of his schoolmates.

The third and final thing was that Castiel could not help but imagine himself doing all sorts of things with Dean, most of which caused him to cross his legs in an attempt to hide an ever increasing bulge that was tightening in his pants.

Castiel was definitely going to be rubbing one out tonight. It was going to be spectacular, he thought to himself whilst grinning maniacally.


	2. Dean – Day One

_**A/N: Just a little warning to say that there is a little solo Dean action at the end of the chapter, though I cannot say how well written it actually is. I have never done anything like it before, but hey - there's a first time for anything, right? Anyway enjoy Chapter Two of Wings!**  
_

* * *

_Dean – Day One, in which he finds himself a friend._

"Are we there yet?" asked Sam, lying down in the back seat of his older brother's car.

Dean quickly glanced behind himself, scoffing at the fact that his younger brother wasn't wearing his seat belt. "Sam! Put your damn belt on!" he snapped.

Sam sighed, sitting up reluctantly. "Come on Dean, you know as well as I do that you love this car too much to ever _ever _crash it."

Dean's mouth snapped shut, suppressing a slight laugh. His brother certainly was quick witted. "Shaddup," he replied playfully.

Dean was escorting his brother to his first day at the local school, silently praying that this time they could stay here, make friends and not have to worry about getting too close to anyone. "You got all your things Sammy?" asked Dean, handing his brother his backpack.

"Yes," Sam sighed, rolling his eyes.

They had arranged to meet back here again as soon as school finished, and then they were going to go out shopping to buy some food for dinner. They had been driving around for the past few days; with the best meal they had being a happy meal each at a roadside McDonalds. Dean wanted to make Sam a proper dinner that night.

Dean watched as Sam made his way up past toward the large metal gates, wondering if he knew that people were staring at him. Dean sighed and went to pick up his phone when he noticed that Sam had left his lunch sitting on the front seat.

"Sammy!" Dean called out, waving the bag out of the window. "Your lunch!"

Sam quickly turned around and hurried back to Dean, his face lightly flushed with embarrassment. "Thanks Dean," he said, before running back into the school.

The crowd slowly moved in through the front door and eventually Sam was no longer visible. "Good luck, Sammy," Dean said to himself.

Dean decided that he'd spend most of his day driving around town and getting used to his new surroundings. He made a mental map of all the different places in town, with the grocery store and Blockbuster being his top priorities.

Unfortunately, the town was not that big and Dean had covered everything quite quickly, leaving him with nothing to do. His car cruised along the roads at a low speed while he looked around at all of the different people that inhabited the area. Maybe he'd be real close with some of them someday.

"Fingers crossed," he muttered to himself. Dean didn't really believe in good luck or anything like that but it couldn't hurt to at least try.

After spending most of the day moseying his way around town, Dean decided it was about time to turn back and wait around the school to pick up Sam. As he pulled the car around, a small sign caught his eye. Dean checked his watch, making certain that he had time to go inside before getting his little brother. He wouldn't need more than ten minutes anyway.

Dean drove to the strip of the café looking for a car space, when he saw an angry looking man come stomping out of the shop door carrying a takeaway coffee. _'I wonder what his problem is,' _Dean thought. The nearest parking spot was a short walk away from the storefront, causing the tired man to emit a brief sigh. Dean almost gave up on going inside, but when he spotted the same angry man storming back through the door he decided that it was probably a good idea to check it out.

As he got closer, he could hear some familiar music emanating from the windows and upon looking inside, it was clear to Dean that whoever was working could not hear the man coming up behind him.

The man pushed his way behind the counter and stepped up to the employee, taking a fistful of shirt in his hand. "You better give me my damn money back, you little asshole, or else!" he heard the man growl.

"Oh crap," Dean said, "this can't be good." He ran up to the back of the attacker, immobilising his strike just in time.

Dean glared at the fallen man. "Or else what?" he shouted.

The angry customer jumped to his feet and swung at Dean, but he ducked under the swings and struck the older man hard in the gut. It was times like these that made Dean realise that maybe all of the fighting styles he'd learnt were not such a bad thing. Perhaps it was just his father's intent that made it wrong. "I suggest you leave, now," added Dean, coolly. He stared the man down until he gave up and left.

Once he was gone, Dean turned his attention to the man he had just saved. "Hey, he's gone. You're alright now. What's your name?" asked Dean.

"C-Castiel. Cas," he stammered.

Dean laughed, extending his hand out for a shake. "I'm Dean," he replied.

As soon as he held Castiel's hand in his own, Dean felt something odd between the two of them. He had no idea what it was or where it came from, but he could see that Castiel had felt it too. What could it possibly mean? Castiel's brilliant blue eyes held him there, giving Dean the urge to pull the man into a hug and tell him that everything was fine. Dean shook himself mentally. It's not that he didn't like what he was feeling, but… it was just odd. Different. New.

Castiel seemed to be shivering. "Hey, are you okay?" asked Dean, feeling concerned.

"Yes. Just a bit… flustered," replied Castiel.

"You need a ride home?"

Dean could see that Castiel really did not want to walk home, but he could also tell that he was hesitant to accept the offer. "No, thank you, I will walk."

"Aww, don't be an idiot. I'll give ya a ride. I got nothin' else to do," grinned Dean.

"I really cannot ask you to do this for me, but…" replied Cas, acquiescing at last. "It is much appreciated."

"Hey, no problem."

Dean waited inside the shop while Castiel finished packing up. Thankfully he did not have to wait long and soon enough they were on their way.

"I gotta pick up my little brother from school," said Dean. "Do you mind?"

Castiel looked at Dean, staring at him intently. "Of course not. You are doing me the favour, remember?"

Something about the man made Dean feel comfortable – like he needn't worry about anything else but what was happening right now. He hadn't been in town long, but it seemed clear that he had already found his first friend, and though not much had been exchanged between the two, Dean felt a profound bond between them… Like a remnant of some other life that they had shared together.

Castiel cleared his throat. "Uhhh… Dean?"

Dean snapped out of his deep thought state. "Huh? Yeah, of course."

"I have not seen you around before," stated Castiel. "What brings you here?"

Dean almost let the truth slip, but stayed his tongue when he realised that his reasons might have made his new friend a little uncomfortable. He decided that while he would not lie, he just wasn't going to say the whole truth. "It's a long story… but it basically boils down to the fact that I am looking out for my little brother. Where we're from… he just wouldn't have a normal life, y'know?"

"I… understand," replied Castiel. This surprised Dean. He was expecting him to probe for more information. "How are you affording everything?"

"I've got some money that I st- that my father gave me," replied Dean. "It should be enough until I find a job."

Castiel smiled brightly. "It just so happens that I am in need of staff. Can you make coffee?"

"I guess… I'd probably need some instruction though. I'm not really qualified for that sort of thing anyway; I doubt my résumé would stack up against any other applicants. I'm sure your boss could find someone better."

They pulled up in the school car park and waited.

"Dean," said Castiel, placing an arm on his shoulder. When Castiel's hand made contact with him, Dean felt the odd sensation from earlier, only with more potency this time. "I am the manager. If you want a job, you are welcome to it."

"R-really..?" stammered Dean. It was not often that he was at a loss for words. "I… wow. Yes, that would… help a lot. Thank you."

Castiel opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off by someone whom Castiel assumed to be the younger brother that Dean was speaking of.

"Hey Dean," he said. "Who's your friend?"

"I am Castiel. And you are?"

"Sam. Pleased to meet you!" he replied with a smile.

Sam jumped into the back seat and leaned into the front section of the car, iPod in hand. He turned to Dean, silently asking for permission to plug it in, smiling when his request was permitted.

"I hope you like Cage the Elephant," laughed Sam.

"Are you kidding?" replied Castiel. "I love them! They're phenomenal. My favourite song they've done is Ain't No Rest For the Wicked, though I have been listening to Indy Kidz a lot lately."

"No way!" exclaimed Sam. "Me too!"

'_Yep,' _Dean thought to himself. Watching the excitement with which Sam spoke to Castiel, Dean knew that he had found a friend inside the man that he had rescued. He silently observed their exchange, only interrupting them to ask for directions to Castiel's home, noticing that Castiel seemed to be shifting uncomfortably quite often. He kept crossing then uncrossing his legs for some strange reason.

The ten minutes flew by and they pulled up out the front of Castiel's home. Dean gave Castiel his number so that he could send him a message regarding his new job and when he started. They exchanged their goodbyes, before Castiel made his way up to the front door.

Dean sat there watching the man walk away. "Uhh Dean? What are you waiting for?"

What was he waiting for? Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew he wasn't waiting, but rather he was watching. Watching the way Castiel's round ass shifted with each step, looking very appealing in the tight black pants of his work uniform. He wasn't ready to admit that to himself though, because if he did… He'd have some serious rethinking to do. "Just making sure he gets in okay," Dean lied.

Sam jumped through to the front seat, taking up the space that Castiel had vacated. "If you say so," he said with a smirk.

Dean questioned Sam on his first day of school, pleased to hear that it went by without trouble. Sam had even made some friends already.

"You always have been more of a people person than I ever have been," said Dean. "You're lucky. I couldn't make friends to save myself."

"Not true. Look at Castiel. If I didn't know any better, I'd say he was in love with you – he couldn't take his eyes off you, the whole way home."

"Well, you may have gotten the people skills, but I definitely have the looks," Dean chuckled. "Regardless, I don't think anyone can fall in love in under half an hour."

"Disney films say otherwise," replied Sam.

"Smartass."

"Bitch," teased Sam. He quickly shut his mouth though when Dean threatened him with McDonalds again for dinner. "Please, no! I'll be quiet, I swear!"

"That's what I thought."

Dean was pleasantly surprised when he realised that Castiel's house was not too far from his own, probably a mere couple of minutes in walking distance. Gravel crunched beneath the car tires as they came into the driveway of their new home, given to them by their Uncle, Bobby. That man had been more of a father to them than their blood relation had ever been. Bobby had been quite close with the Winchester parents a very long time ago, but for reasons still unknown to Dean they had just stopped talking one day. Then, when their mother died, their father left both Dean and Sam completely alone, until Bobby had heard and come to their rescue. They owed that man more than they could give.

After dinner the two brothers watched a few episodes of some stupid vampire show that was on TV. Dean decided that it was time for Sam to go to bed when one of the vampires proceeded to have graphic sex with a young woman that may or may not have been a fairy.

"What kind of crap gets on to television these days?" Dean wondered aloud. He turned the TV off with the remote and sent Sam to bed.

That night, Dean expected to be making plans for obtaining a job, but thanks to Castiel he no longer had to do that. Instead, he went about tidying up the place until he was tired, after which he sent Bobby a short message informing him how they were going so far.

Dean made his way up the stairs to his room, stripping down before heading into the bathroom for a quick shower. He looked into the small mirror, staring at himself, taking in all of the tired lines beneath his eyes. He looked away and rubbed his face, letting out a small sigh.

For the first time in a while Dean was able to take his time in the shower and enjoy the hot water running over his body. He stood there, completely absorbed by the warmth that the shower was providing, and God, did it feel good. Dean washed his hair slowly and carefully, massaging his scalp with the tips of his fingers and inhaling deeply as the fruity scent of the apple scented shampoo that he had bought earlier filled the steamy air. He sighed again, this time not out of tiredness but of pleasure, before turning his attention to the rest of his body.

His dick sprang to life as he lathered it up with soap, reminding Dean that he had not had _that _kind of fun for far too long. Gently but surely, he massaged himself to full erectness, before pumping his hand up and down his shaft in a calm rhythm.

Dean opened up what he liked to called his 'wank bank,' visualising the perfect chest of Karima Adebibe and imagining the amazing body of Yvonne Strahovksi, wishing that he were enjoying his shower with the two sexy women. Before he knew it, a firm round butt in a pair of tight black pants materialised in his mind. Dean wondered what it looked like without the pants on, how it would feel to have that piece of ass in his hands.

Dean stroked harder and faster now, feeling himself building up to his release. The faster he moved, the more vivid his mental imagery became. Instead of that perfect round behind being attached to a faceless body, it now belonged to Castiel – whom he pictured beckoning Dean over. Dean was breathing heavily now, too caught up in the sensation to realise that he was beating himself off to another man.

Dean groaned as his load spurted out onto the glass walls of the shower in several volleys of the thick liquid. He leaned his head against the glass, eyes closed and panting as he waited for the feeling of release to subside, hand still gripped tightly around his cock.

He quickly washed the shower wall down and then moved on to himself. He reluctantly turned the taps off before stepping out and reaching out for his towel.

Dean slipped into his bed, falling asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

* * *

**A/N: So there you have it! I hope it wasn't too awkward to read, but if it was, please let me know via a review so that I can work on it in future chapters! Regardless, I hope you've enjoyed the chapter! If any of the people reading this have read my other stuff, then you know that I use this end space to reply to the reviews I get, I just find it much easier :)**

**shadow visor: He did indeed! One would hope that Dean realises just what he has found in Cas, but then again... Things are never that easy are they?  
**

**I'd just like to give ****many _many _thanks to all the readers, especially the ones that followed or favorited this story and/or myself! 'Tis much appreciated. Ya'll are pretty super ;)**

******P.S. I'm looking for a beta for this, so if you'd like to volunteer or have any questions about it, don't hesitate to shoot me a PM! **


	3. Castiel – Day Two

_**A/N: Sorry about the major delay, I hit a few snags on the road to getting this chapter written and then when it was finally done I lost power for two days due to a pretty big storm. Anyway, it's here now so enjoy! Also a big thank you to the lovely DragonAngelRaven for approving this chapter! **_

_**Also, a teensy warning that there's some self indulgence on Castiel's part toward the end of the chapter!**_

* * *

_Castiel – Day Two, in which the trouble begins._

Castiel screamed as he was rudely awoken by a grenade shaped alarm clock that had been thrown into his bedroom. Once the pin was removed, it emitted an extremely high pitched sound scaring the hell out of Castiel and causing him to fall out of his bed in a painful heap.

"Gabriel," he roared, "I swear to God I will kill you-"

Anna poked her head into Castiel's room, looking mildly afraid. "Sorry Cas, that was me… I couldn't wake you naturally and I didn't know what else to do. You were supposed to open up the shop twenty minutes ago? To train the new guy? He's called for you a few times."

"Fuck," muttered Castiel. "Shit."

Castiel leapt from his bed and sprinted into the bathroom for a cold shower. Only when he was fully awake did he realised that he had quite a severe case of morning wood, but he did not have the time to deal with it properly leaving him with no choice but to ignore it.

Anna was waiting at the door holding out her brother's car keys and iPhone, giving him a light peck on the cheek before he dashed out into the street. He dragged his thumb along the bottom of the touch screen, enjoying the familiar unlocking sound his device made.

"Siri, call Dean Winchester," Castiel said to the phone.

It rang twice before Dean answered, his voice sending s slight shiver down Castiel's back. "Hey Castiel," he said.

"Dean. Call me Cas," he said amicably. "Are you still at the café?"

Dean paused before answering. "Okay, Cas. I was, but I got hungry while I was waiting and now I'm at the supermarket. Did you know you can buy miniature hamburgers? They're so tiny!"

Castiel laughed. "Right, well… I'm almost at the shop now. Meet me there in ten?"

Dean responded with a 'sure,' and then Castiel pressed the big red end call button, staring at Dean's name on the screen for what some would consider an inappropriately long time. He sighed.

Dean was not at the café when Castiel arrived, so he got to work doing all the things that his new employee could not. Castiel rammed his iPhone into the dock, putting on a new album that he had been recommended by a friend.

Marina and the Diamonds, the artist was called, and Castiel absolutely loved her music. He'd listened to the album on repeat, letting it play several times over so that the lyrics could sink into his head. Already there was a favourite song, and that was the first one to play.

At first he hummed along with the words, not bursting out into song so as not to embarrass himself in front of Dean who was due to arrive at any second.

The coffee grinder whirred to life, filling the air with a rich aroma of freshly ground beans – something that Castiel loved greatly. It may have even been his favourite thing about working at the café, or if it wasn't that it was definitely the smell of the cinnamon powder that they used in spicy cocoa mixes.

The chorus of the song kicked in, and Castiel was unable to resist singing. "So pull me closer, and kiss me haaa-aard, I'm gonna pop your bubblegum heart!"

Cas retrieved the broom to sweep up the coffee powder that he had accidentally spilled, but instead of cleaning he played the air guitar. "I'm mister sugar pink liquor liquor lips, hit me with your sweet love, steal me with a kiss!"

He had his back to the entrance, so he could not see Dean entering the shop with an amused grin on his face. He waited there, watching Castiel sing as he filled up the register.

"I'm mister sugar pink liquor liquor lips, I'm gonna be your bubblegum bitch! I'm gonna be your bubblegum bitch!"

"You know Cas, I'm pretty sure it's 'miss' not 'mister,'" said Dean, laughing slightly.

Cas turned around too fast and dropped the wad of cash in his hands, letting out a small scream. "Oh sweet baby Jesus!" he exclaimed, leaping high in fright.

"Hello to you too," replied Dean.

Castiel took a few moments to compose himself. "Yes, well… welcome to your first day at Wings – where our angels serve only the most heavenly of things."

"Hah. Cute. What is that?" replied Dean.

"'That' is the motto that you will have to remember. Whenever someone calls on the phone, you have to say that. Whenever there is a new customer, again, you must say that," stated Castiel, very businesslike in his tone. "So you have never used any of these machines? They're pretty easy and I'm sure you'll get the hang of it in no time flat. Here, let me show you. Do you prefer single or double shot?"

"Double, thanks," replied Dean.

Castiel picked up the double shot boiler and brought it to the grinder. "Now, for the double shot, always use three clicks, like so, and then slide it in and turn it. Make sure it's really tight, and that you've pushed it in all the way so that it's nice and snug. Then, depending on what size coffee the person has ordered, you'll push one of these three buttons here and so on. Got it memorised?"

Dean nodded, bust Castiel was not convinced. He handed the trainee a clen boiler, and asked him to make the same thing.

"Well done, Dean," smiled Castiel. "First try. You didn't even look like you were paying much attention."

"Thanks, I guess," replied Dean, grinning sheepishly. "I wasn't really listening, I'm more of a hands on kinda guy."

For the remainder of the hour before the shop opened to the general public, Castiel went about showing Dean how to do all the other little jobs, and when to fill the cookie jars, rules about breaks and other general stuff. Cas kept the bigger things from the schedule today, not wanting to scare Dean off with the more nitty-gritty parts of the day.

Castiel did indeed notice that Dean worked far better with his hands, and soon enough his mind strayed to what Dean could do with his hands _outside _of the café. Suddenly, Castiel was acutely aware of just how close Dean was standing, causing him to lose focus and drop the bag of cinnamon that he was holding onto the floor.

The cloud of powder obscured their vision, and Dean stepped forward to pick it up while Castiel had bent down. The two of them froze awkwardly, leaving Cas with a face-full of crotch and a deep red face.

"Uh… Dean, sorry I um…" spluttered Castiel, intensely embarrassed albeit slightly turned on. He seemed pretty thick beneath his pants.

Dean laughed in response. "Cas," he said, slapping him mockingly on the shoulder, "its fine. Should we get this cleaned up? Where do you keep the brooms?"

Castiel pointed to the cleaning equipment stored near the kitchen. He stood up slowly as Dean walked away, hiding an ever expanding bulge in his pants. The young man cursed himself for being so weak-willed, but his damned _smell _was just so good – a mixture of Dean himself and some kind of cologne that drove Cas wild.

"Keep staring at me like that and you'll have to ask me out to dinner," mocked Dean.

_Keep being so fucking attractive and I'll do more than that. _Castiel smiled. "If you say so. Let's get this done quick; I expect we'll be getting the regulars soon."

The two of them took turns sweeping up the pile and pushing it into the pan, and working as a team they cleaned up the mess in just shy of a few minutes. Realising that there was no more preparation to do, they stood idly by and watched the few people that happened to stroll by the window.

"So, Dean," asked Castiel. "Are you nervous?"

"About working? Nah, piece of cake. With my looks I can get away with anything," he replied with a smile. "Cas?"

"Yes, Dean?"

Dean hesitated for a moment, staring gently into Castiel's deep blue eyes. "I… um, you've got cinnamon powder in your hair."

Dean reached up slowly and ran his hand through the other man's hair, sending sparks all throughout Castiel's body that he did his best to ignore. Every cell in his body was urging him to reach out and touch Dean back, but he had to resist, and for many reasons. One of them in particular being that the first customer of the day had entered the shop.

It was little old Margaret, Wings' oldest customer – in both age and the fact that she had been going there every day since the café had opened. "Good morning, Castiel," she said, smiling. "Oh, is he your new boyfriend? I have to say; much more handsome than the last chap you attached yourself to. What's your name, boy?"

Castiel's face could not have gotten any redder.

"Dean, ma'am. It's a pleasure to meet you. Now what can I get you?" replied Dean, his most charming smile gracing his face. It's a wonder Margaret didn't have a heart attack then and there; Castiel almost did and he wasn't even looking at Dean.

"Castiel knows," answered Margaret, completely unaware of the dazzling look that Dean was giving her.

"A skinny hot chocolate for the lovely lady, and throw in whatever cookie she'd like. On the house." Castiel smiled. Not that she could see it.

Dean prepared the hot chocolate, impressing Castiel greatly with his sudden proficiency. It's not like it was hard to make one, but the confidence that the man exuded just made everything he did seem more _fantastic. _

Margaret retreated to her usual back booth, sitting alone and staring out the window as she slowly sipped away. The sight of this filled Castiel with melancholy, remembering the times when the woman was not alone.

"I take it she used to have regular company," stated Dean.

"Yes," replied Castiel. "Her husband. The two of them would come here every Wednesday and Friday, without fail. Then one week neither of them showed up. At first, we just thought that they may have gone on holiday or something similar, but then Margaret started coming back again… Without her husband. None of us asked what had happened, but… we look out for her."

Dean smiled sadly. Those were the things he wished he could change about the world: that people would never have to lose the ones they love, leaving them alone for the rest of their lives.

"So… boyfriend, huh?" asked Dean, eager to move on to a less depressing subject. "I didn't know you were…"

"Gay?" snapped Castiel, sounding a little harsher than he had meant to. "Yeah, nobody does. Is there a problem with that?"

"What? No. I just… never mind. What happened to him? Your ex?"

Castiel was quiet for a moment. "Balthazar and I… we had our differences and he left. But that was a long time ago, when I was still in school. I haven't seen him since."

Several more customers came in, signalling the true start to the day. The café was rapidly filling up and it forced Castiel into calling in a disgruntled Anna for backup. Dean handled the day pretty well and despite his mix up at the coffee machine, he did everything perfectly. The influx of customers slowed to a trickle and eventually it became quiet enough for the two men to take a break together.

"You're doing very well, Dean. One would think that you've been doing this for a while."

Dean grinned. "Yes, well, like I said – I'm good with my hands."

"I'd love to see what else you can do with them," replied Castiel. _Oh god. Did I just say that out loud? _Castiel's face instantly lost all of its color.

"You should come over one night and find out," replied Dean with a wink.

_Did he really just say that back to me?_

"Cas! Get back out here, I gotta go now. That okay?" shouted Anna from outside the break room.

Castiel hurried to Anna's side, his head swimming with vivid imagery of Dean doing all sorts of things to him.

Business picked up a little bit after that, never quite reaching the dizzying heights of earlier in the day, but enough to keep the two men on their toes. The rest of the day passed by without a mention of the break room incident and before they knew it Dean's shift was over.

"I'll send you a text when we need you again, okay Dean? Great work today, by the way," said Castiel as he waved goodbye.

"Hey, no problem. Call me if you need me, or even if you don't. Just call me," Dean yelled back.

Before Castiel could ask him what he meant by 'just call me,' Dean had hopped into his car and sped away, leaving a grinning Castiel in his wake. He went back inside, locking the front door behind him (eager to avoid a repeat of the other day) and went about closing up the shop. Aside from the mess Dean had made when he spilt the coffee he was carrying, there wasn't that much to clean up.

_[Anna, leaving for home now. You there or still out?] _Castiel shot his sister a quick text message, hoping for a chance at a little alone time for a change. God knows he needed it after spending the whole day with Dean.

Five minutes later, as he had just sat down in his car, he got his reply. [_No, Cas, sorry. Still at Charlie's. See u soon, Anna xo]_

Today was a good day, Castiel thought. He plugged his iPhone into the car stereo, flicking through the many albums on his phone before stopping at one of his favourites: Ceremonials by Florence + the Machine. Castiel sighed as the sounds of Seven Devils flooded his speakers, filling the car with the unique voice of one of his most loved artists.

The gravel of his driveway crunched under the car tires as he pulled in. True to her words, Anna's car was not parked in the garage, proving that Castiel definitely was without company. He could not help but to let a huge grin spread across his face.

Castiel immediately had a shower upon returning home to get rid of the last bits of the cinnamon powder that clung to his skin. It didn't take very long and in a few minutes he had dried himself off and reclined into his soft bed. Just as he was about to begin his little session, his phone vibrated on the table beside him.

_[Can u please feed the fish? Forgot to this morning, Anna xo]_

Castiel groaned at the interruption, but pulled on a pair of briefs and headed downstairs anyway. He rummaged around in the cupboards beneath the tank to retrieve the food and dropped several flakes onto the water's surface. The tiny little fish swam to the top and nibbled away, earning a small smile from Castiel who admired their cuteness.

Thunder roared outside as it begun to rain. Castiel was glad he had managed to avoid the storm on his drive home. He closed all of the windows and blinds before heading back upstairs to finally get started on something he had been waiting all day to do.

Castiel was already pretty hard by the time he was on his bed again. In fact, he had been pretty hard all day – thanks in no small part to one Dean Winchester. He sat on his back with his legs apart, knees slightly bent and reached down to his now rock hard cock. A few minutes were spent just pumping slowly and lazily, getting himself nice and slick and ready for some more intense motion in a short while.

_You should come over and find out._

Castiel moved his hand up and down with increasing speed, Dean's words echoing in his mind and filling it up with some pretty dirty scenarios. _Dean's tongue running along the shaft of my cock, licking and sucking and giving it all the attention it deserves. Dean, standing over me completely naked, nervously anticipating the moment I enter him. Dean tied up to the bed frame, waiting for what I'm going to do next, because he's all mine, to do with as I please. _Castiel grunted at the thought, slowly easing off so that he wouldn't spend himself too soon. He didn't get to do this often and he wanted it to last.

_Dean's smell, his dick pressed right up into my face._

This memory, still burning hot in Castiel's mind, proved to be too much for him as he came all over his chest. He let out a half-growl, half-groan as he emptied himself, panting gently for a minute as he calmed down.

Castiel wiped himself clean and headed into the shower again to have a quick rinse. He was supposed to be cooking dinner that night, and it would just be weird if he didn't clean himself up properly.

Down in the kitchen, Castiel found enough things to make some tacos for dinner. They were a meal that both he and Anna enjoyed, despite them being not that great for you. He was midway through slicing up some mushrooms when the doorbell rang.

"Anna! It's unlocked!" yelled Castiel.

The doorbell rang again, several times in a row. Castiel put the knife down, wondering who could possibly be at the door. Was it too much to ask that it be Dean, in nothing but a tie?

As he reached the door, it rang once more. Castiel looked through the peephole but saw nothing. Whoever was on the other side had a finger pressed up to it.

"Who is it?" Castiel asked.

For a few seconds, no one answered. "It's me," replied the voice. "Your cousin."

"What are you doing here? I thought that we decided to stay away from each other."

Again, a few seconds passed before his cousin responded. "I've come to take what is mine."

* * *

**A/N: I'm uncertain of my skill in writing the more sexy stuff, so if you wouldn't mind leaving a review I'd greatly appreciate any feedback! **

**Again, I'd like to extend my thanks to all of the people reading this, ********especially the ones that followed or favorited this story and/or myself! **

**********ILOVEYOUALL**


	4. Dean – Day Two

_Dean - Day Two, in which he leaps to the assistance of a friend._

"Come here Dean," said Castiel, unbuttoning the top of his shirt. "We've got time to do this before we open up."

Dean gulped. "H-here? Now? Cas, I'm just not sure if – what about the hygiene? We can't just screw around in the kitchen and-"

"Shut up," snapped Castiel, yanking Dean over by the collar of his shirt. "I am your new boss, and you will submit to me," he continued, voice turning into a deep growl.

Dean got down on his knees like Castiel had told him, nervously tugging on the zip of the other man's pants. His eyes widened in shock at the sheer weight that Castiel was packing down there, earning a snide laugh in return.

Castiel put his hands on Dean's chin and lifted it so that they were staring into each other's eyes. "Dean," he said.

"Yes?"

"You have to wake up or you'll be late for work." Castiel's voice suddenly sounded different, higher and younger.

Work? Dean's eyes flew open, immediately snapping out of the dream he was having. Sam was standing at the foot of his bed, wearing a slightly mocking grin.

"What were you dreaming about?" asked Sam.

Dean blanched at the thought of explaining _that _to his brother. "N-nothing, just uhh… Cas – cats! Cats!"

"Yeah right you liar. 'H-here? Now?'" he teased. "Come on, you don't wanna keep _Cas _waiting do you?" Sam winked.

Dean hurled one of his pillows at his younger brother who merely stepped out of the way, laughing maniacally.

After Sam left the room, Dean rose from his bed –feeling a sticky wetness lining his briefs– and stumbled around looking for a clean pair of underwear. It took him several minutes before he found something suitable to wear – briefs that featured a zebra stripe pattern. _What the? _Dean thought.

"Where the hell did these come from?" he said with a shrug. "Oh well."

The briefs were quite a snug fit and they highlighted every bend and curve of Dean's body. He prayed silently that the pants were a little more concealing, not wanting to look like a creep in front of his boss.

There was still half an hour before Dean was supposed to meet at his new job, so he took the time to fix himself a big bowl of cereal. Sam was sitting on the couch watching television, appearing to be utterly engrossed in the early morning cartoons.

"Hey Sammy," Dean called.

"Yeah?"

"You sure it's okay if I don't take you to school today?" He felt guilty about leaving his brother early even though he really had no choice. Perhaps Castiel would let him start later if he ever needed to take Sam.

"Dean, relax. I think I'm old enough to find my way." With those words Sam resumed his intense stare at the screen.

The oldest Winchester sat in silence, enjoying the sight of his brother being so at ease. The two of them hadn't lived what you would call an easy life, and up until this point both of them hadn't really cared where they went as long as they were together. They looked out for each other, picking up the slack where the other could not.

Dean was lost in thought and didn't notice that Sam had turned off the TV and was now washing the dishes that they had used. Sam gently reminded Dean that it was time for him to go before hurrying up the stairs to get changed and ready for school.

Despite rushing to get ready, Dean still found that he was going to be a few minutes late so he decided that it would be best if he were to call Castiel and let him know. The call tone sounded a few times before a female answered, sending a surge of jealousy through his body. Dean shook off the feeling, not knowing where it had come from.

"Hello, this is Anna. Cas is… unavailable at the moment," she said.

"Hey, it's… Dean. Can you let him know that I'll be a few minutes late to work? I'm really sorry."

Anna chuckled, a gentle laugh that irritated Dean for a reason he could not quite put his finger on. "Not a problem, he didn't get much sleep last night so I don't think he'll be on time himself. I'll wake him now though."

"Thanks," Dean snapped, not meaning to let the harshness in his tone to slip through. He locked his phone and slipped it into his pocket.

Knowing that Castiel, too, was going to be late allowed Dean to take his time on the drive over to the café, so he once again made a mental map of the local area. The supermarket was not too far from his destination, so Dean decided that he was going to stop by on his way home from work.

Everything was still dark inside when Dean arrived at Wings, leaving him with nothing to do but sit in his car for several minutes to wait for Castiel. When it had been fifteen and there was still no sign of him, Dean decided to call again. Once more, he had to speak to Anna who told him that she had been trying to wake Cas up, but 'he's a very _very _heavy sleeper.' If he still wasn't there in half an hour, Dean was to call Anna so that she could let him in and help him get started. He shuddered at the thought of working with her.

As soon as that uncomfortable call had ended, a new message from Sam came through.

[Dean, don't know if you'll get this but I just wanted to check in with you on your first day. Let me know!]

[Can u talk?] Dean replied.

A few seconds after that, Sam called through. "What's up?"

Dean filled his brother in on what was going on, carefully avoiding any mention of Anna or the fact that he had called Castiel three times already this morning.

"Maybe he's just fashionably late?" joked Sam. "Anyway, listen. I don't need a ride home tonight; I'm getting one with a friend."

"Oh? With whom?"

"A girl. Ruby, her name is. I gotta go Dean, I'll talk to you later!"

Maybe he was just being a bit overprotective, but Dean had a bad feeling about this 'Ruby' girl. Something in the pit of his stomach told him that she was going to lead Sam astray. He sighed in frustration when he looked at the time, as Castiel was now forty five minutes late and he still had no notice of when he was supposed to get there.

Dean grew bored of waiting, so he drove back to the supermarket to buy some snacks to bring home for himself and Sam. At the very back of the shop was where the junk food made its home. As he was studying the many different and brightly colored packages, a beautiful young woman with mousy brown hair approached Dean and offered her assistance. Dean took a quick look at her name tag.

"No thanks… Bella," he replied with a smile. "I'm okay."

Bella walked away looking slightly disappointed and just as she vanished around the corner, Dean's phone rang. It was Castiel.

"Hey Castiel," he said, sounding slightly annoyed.

"Dean," replied Castiel. "Call me Cas. Are you still at the café?"

Damn. Immediately, all was forgiven and Dean had forgotten all about how late 'Cas' was. He almost forgot to reply too, hoping that the pause in words was not too long or awkward. "Okay, Cas," said Dean, perhaps emphasising it a tad too much. "I was, but I got hungry while waiting and now I'm at the supermarket. Did you know you can buy miniature hamburgers? They're so tiny!"

Castiel laughed through the phone, and Dean had to stop himself from replying simply with an 'mmmm.'

"Right, well… I'm almost at the shop now. Meet me there in ten?"

"Sure," replied Dean, half jogging down the aisle and to the exit of the supermarket. He dove into his car and wasted no time in turning it on in his sudden eagerness to meet his new boss. In fact, he was so excited that he wasn't even paying attention to where he was actually going and instead drove directly past the storefront. The only safe place to turn around was directly at the other end of the street, and by the time Dean had made his way back the lights were on and the beats of a familiar song were pulsing out through the window.

Dean stood at the glass for a few moments, watching happily as Castiel danced around the counter and prepared whatever it was that needed preparing. Dean quietly entered the shop, grinning stupidly, and snuck up behind Castiel.

"I'm mister sugar pink liquor liquor lips, I'm gonna be your bubblegum bitch! I'm gonna be your bubblegum bitch!" Castiel sung, and Dean almost burst out laughing then and there.

"You know Cas, I'm pretty sure it's 'miss' not 'mister,'" said Dean, trying to suppress his fit of laughter.

Cas turned around too fast and dropped the wad of cash in his hands, letting out a small scream. "Oh sweet baby Jesus!" he exclaimed, leaping high in fright.

"Hello to you too," Dean replied.

After a somewhat awkward introduction to the café motto, Castiel wasted no time in showing Dean the basics of working at Wings. The first thing he learnt was how to use the coffee machine, and Dean greatly admired how deftly Castiel's hands moved around all of the different utensils. The man seemed to do everything subconsciously as he wasn't even looking at the machine but instead keeping constant eye contact with Dean.

"Got it memorised?" asked Castiel.

Dean nodded, but knew that he had not convinced Cas just yet. With a clean boiler in his hand, Dean perfectly mimicked Castiel's actions earning him a warm smile and a gentle pat on the shoulder. For some reason though, where Castiel had touched him was a strange tingling sensation.

"Well done, Dean," said Castiel. "First try, you didn't even look like you were paying much attention."

"Thanks, I guess," Dean replied, grinning sheepishly and basking in Castiel's praise. "I wasn't really listening; I'm more of a 'hands on' kinda guy."

Everything else that Castiel had told him was more or less what he was expecting, such as refills, breaks, taking time off work and other general stuff. There were a few other things that Castiel only scarcely mentioned, telling Dean that he would learn about them another time. For now, it was only the easy stuff.

Dean worked as hard as he could, focussing completely on whatever he was told to do. He even surprised himself with how well he was doing, and he could see that Castiel was extremely pleased with how he was doing. Most of the drinks and things were fairly straight forward to make; it was only the ones that required extra ingredients or a different mix that Dean needed help with. One of those was a spicy hot chocolate that was made from cocoa, cinnamon and a pinch of chilli powder. Dean stepped in closer to get a better look at the amount of chilli that Castiel was adding. Dean watched as he clumsily reached up to the bag of cinnamon –knocking it down, in what felt like slow motion– and stepped out of the way just in time to avoid the falling bag. The cloud of powder filled the air and obscured their vision with a thick brown haze. Castiel got down on his knees to pick up the bag and at the same time Dean stepped forward to pick it up too. Suddenly, Dean felt something distinctly face-like making contact with his groin. The two of them froze awkwardly, and an uncomfortable silence settled over them along with the falling powder.

"Uh… Dean, sorry I um…" spluttered Castiel.

Dean's heart was pounding in his chest, nervous about how Cas was going to react to that. He did his best to sound at ease, simply laughing in response. "Cas," he said, slapping him mockingly on the shoulder (maybe a little bit too hard), "its fine. Should we get this cleaned up? Where do you keep the brooms?"

Castiel pointed to a cupboard just beyond the kitchen. Dean hurried over, using the time to collect himself, but turned around to see Castiel staring at him with what could only be taken for _hunger._

"Keep staring at me like that and you'll have to ask me out to dinner," Dean teased.

Something flashed across Castiel's face, but as quickly as it had come it was replaced by his usual stoic, business-like appearance. "If you say so. Let's get this done quick; I expect we'll be getting the regulars soon."

Dean swept all of the powder up into a pile and helped Castiel ease it into the dustpan. Working as a team they cleaned up the mess in just shy of a few minutes. Realising that there was no more preparation to do, they stood idly by and watched the few people that happened to stroll by the window.

"So, Dean," asked Castiel. "Are you nervous?"

"About working? Nah, piece of cake. With my looks I can get away with anything," Dean replied with a smile. Looking at Castiel, he spotted a heavy dusting of powder in his hair. "Cas?"

"Yes, Dean?"

Dean hesitated for a moment, staring gently into Castiel's deep blue eyes. They were so deep and Castiel's gaze was almost powerful enough to cause Dean to freeze on the spot. "I… um, you've got cinnamon powder in your hair."

Dean reached up slowly and ran his hand through the other man's hair, loosening the clumps that had settled. It was so soft, and – Dean immediately removed his hand when the first customer of the day entered the shop.

A very old, yet incredibly kind looking woman approached them at the counter. "Good morning, Castiel," she said, smiling. "Oh, is he your new boyfriend? I have to say; much more handsome than the last chap you attached yourself to. What's your name, boy?"

Out of the corner of his eye, Dean noticed Castiel's face flush with a deep red.

"Dean, ma'am. It's a pleasure to meet you. Now what can I get you?" Dean replied, giving his best and most charming smile.

"Castiel knows," answered Margaret, completely unaware of the dazzling look that Dean was giving her.

"A skinny hot chocolate for the lovely lady, and throw in whatever cookie she'd like. On the house," Castiel added with a smile.

Dean snapped back to work mode and once again dazzled Castiel with his unknown skills. Dean knew that a hot chocolate was not particularly difficult to make, but he put a lot of effort into it in order to show Castiel just how grateful he was for allowing him to work there.

Dean handed the old lady – Margaret – her drink and cookie, watching as she slowly made her way over to one of the back booths. He noticed that Castiel was watching her, looking somewhat forlorn.

"I take it she used to have regular company," stated Dean.

Castiel nodded, filling him in on the sad story behind Margaret's solitary state. It got him thinking: that's what his father must have looked like to everyone else who did not know what was going on. He used to take his mother out all the time, but after the accident John just… shut down. Well, that's what Bobby said anyway. Dean was too young when that happened to remember. These old memories of his family were doing nothing for his mood, so he changed the topic to something far more interesting. Margaret had brought up a most interesting point: Castiel was gay. Perhaps Anna was a sister, or the girlfriend of another family member?

"So… boyfriend, huh?" Dean asked, his eagerness for the answer dripping off every word. "I didn't know you were…"

"Gay?" snapped Castiel, sounding so harsh that it caused Dean to recoil slightly. "Yeah, nobody does. Is there a problem with that?"

"What? No. I just… never mind," stammered Dean. Knowing that Castiel was single was oddly… relieving. "What happened to him? Your ex?"

Castiel was quiet for a moment. "Balthazar and I… we had our differences and he left. But that was a long time ago, when I was still in school. I haven't seen him since." His momentary silence suggested that there was more to it, but Dean had no time to press the matter because the café was suddenly packed with people.

Eventually, it got too much for just the two of them to handle, so Castiel had to call Anna (his sister, Dean realised) for backup. It was very hectic for a couple of hours, so Dean and Anna did not get much time to talk but she seemed very kind to Dean, and he knew that the two of them would get along well should they end up on a shift together.

Anna told Dean and Castiel to take a break while it was not very busy, so the two of them hung out in the kitchen for fifteen or so minutes.

"You're doing very well, Dean. One would think that you've been doing this for a while."

Dean grinned, feeling warm inside thanks to the praise. He was not used to being told that he was good at something, only that he could always do better. "Yes, well, like I said – I'm good with my hands."

"I'd love to see what else you can do with them," replied Castiel. As soon as he had said those words, he seemed to regret them. Dean, however, took that as an opportunity to test Castiel's response to some very light flirting.

"You should come over one night and find out," Dean replied with a sly wink.

Before they could say anything else on the subject, Anna called out from the front. "Cas! Get back out here, I gotta go now. That okay?"

The two men hurried out and bode farewell to Anna who hurried away. For the rest of Dean's shift, it never got too busy but the pace did quicken for an hour or so. Dean found that the day had flown by, leaving him wanting to stay longer.

"I'll send you a text when we need you again, okay Dean? Great work today, by the way," said Castiel, waving a lazy goodbye.

"Hey, no problem," replied Dean. "Call me if you need me, or even if you don't. Just call me," Dean yelled, getting into the driver's seat of his car. It looked as though Castiel wanted to say something else, but Dean liked to leave 'em hanging so he simply sped off and left Castiel in the dust.

Now that Sam did not need to be picked up, Dean had an hour or so to kill before he needed to be home for his brother. He was tempted to head back to the café and order a coffee, but in the end he decided to go to the supermarket instead and pick up the food for dinner that night. Some miniature hamburgers wouldn't hurt either.

Dean looked around for a few minutes but ultimately gave up and instead chose to seek the assistance of a staff member in deciding what to get.

"Excuse me, Bella," Dean said. "I'm looking for a meal for two guys, something easy to cook."

"For you and your boyfriend, is it? How cute," she replied, sounding almost like a snarl. "You can't really go wrong with spaghetti, but if you need easier than that I'd recommend some frozen foods, like chips and crumbed chicken fillets."

"It's for my brother and me actually."

Bella chuckled softly, taking Dean's hand in hers and showing him to the frozen foods. After some gentle flirting on her part, she was called away by the store manager and she reluctantly left Dean alone.

It was very unusual indeed for Dean to disregard the advances of a woman, especially one as beautiful as Bella. He did not know it yet but Castiel had a lasting impact on him, one that would last for the rest of his life.

Another message from Sam came through as he was about to head to the exit. [Dean, going to be late. See you later.]

Dean proceeded to the checkout and piled the goods onto the bench by the register. He was too busy worrying about Sam to pay much attention to who was serving him or what he was even doing.

Sam was still not at home even an hour after Dean entered the house. He was starting to worry, and hovered over Sam's contact details in his phone. Just as he was about to call, the brother in question came in through the front door. At the end of the driveway was the girl Dean assumed was Ruby. Undoubtedly, she was incredibly attractive and she seemed like the kind of person that Dean would go for if she were a few years older.

Sam waved goodbye and Ruby sped off in her red sports car. The sound of the engine roaring sent a shiver down Dean's back as he stood there staring longingly into the distance. With a jealous sigh, Dean retreated back inside to begin preparing their dinner. There really was not a lot to do, though, so once all of the food was spread out evenly on a tray and put in the oven, Dean began his interrogation.

"So, Sam," he said. "She seems nice."

"Yeah," Sam replied.

Hmph. It looked like Sam was going to play it cool and reveal as little details as possible, only saying what was absolutely necessary. That could mean only one thing: he was sweet on the girl, and despite Dean's gut feeling, he was happy that his brother had found someone that he liked already. Ruby was in most of the same classes as Sam, and apparently she lived just down the road from where they were now.

Sam groaned when he found out what was for dinner; he was expecting something fresh, or at least that consisted of vegetables in some part. Instead, he got some chicken and a whole lot of potato chips. He made Dean promise to take him shopping next time.

"Only if you cook too, I have no idea how to make any of that crap," Dean replied.

After dinner, Dean washed up while Sam got to work completing the tasks set by his teachers. He watched as Sam worked, amazed at how quickly he was progressing through everything. Dean had never had the chance to do well at school, and after what felt like the millionth move, he gave up.

Now that Dean had Castiel and his new job that he loved and Sam had Ruby, there was hope for some permanence to the situation they were in. Sure, they might have to find another house if Bobby had to give this one up, but they'd deal with that when it actually happened.

"Sam," said Dean, half yawning. "I'm gonna head to bed, I didn't realise how tired I was. Don't stay up too late, okay?"

"Okay Dean. Night."

After a quick shower, Dean slipped under the covers of his bed. The day's events played back in his mind, leaving him with a small smile that lasted well into the night. For the first time in a while, Dean actually felt _happy_. Not just 'sweet, nothing bad happened today,' but an honest to god sense of joy, and he couldn't help but thank Castiel for it all.

As if in response to the thought of him, Dean's phone buzzed to alert him with a message from Castiel.

[Dean, I am sorry to contact you at this time, but I need your help.]

Mildly alarmed, Dean sat up and rested his back against the headboard. [R u ok? Do u need me now]

[Not… really. It's a difficult situation. Can you come now?]

Dean was already getting changed into better clothing when he received that last message. [On my way now, see u soon.]

"Sammy!" Dean yelled. "I've gotta go, someone needs my help. I'll be back tonight. I think."

With those parting words, Dean sped off toward Castiel's house wondering exactly what could have gone wrong.

* * *

**A/N: Yo! I was just wondering if you all like the way it is written (in days, from Castiel then Dean's point of view) or if you think it would be better to change it to a more traditional format. Anyway, as usual, thank you very much for reading, reviewing following or favoriting this story and/or myself, I greatly appreciate it! It makes me smile when I see people enjoying my stuff :)**

**Extra big thank you to my lovely friend and assistant as well! **

**xDoItForTehLulz:**** Thanks! As always, glad to hear you're enjoying this! Tell me, who do you think it is? You'll have to wait until the next Chapter for the big reveal though!**

**pappy: Yes. They both want _each other _really bad.  
**

**a-whisper-in-time: Thanks, I actually was inspired by my own job at a cafe to write this! Glad to hear you're enjoying this, and, I love Dean and his comments too, he's so awesome haha!  
**

**guest: Y U NO MAKE NAME? Let me love you properly! Thank you anyway, I appreciate it :)  
**

**Sayonara minasan!**


	5. Castiel – Day Three

_Castiel - Day Three, in which he finds solace in the arms of another._

* * *

_ "Somewhere just beyond my reach, there's someone reaching back for me."_

* * *

"Come to take what is yours? We've settled this and you know it. You can't just-"

A snide laugh echoed out from the other side of the door. "Whatever you say, _Castiel_. I'll be back."

With those words, the front porch was once again silent. Castiel listened to the sound of screeching tires as they sped away. Immediately, he ran up to his room and snatched up his iPhone. Castiel scrolled through all of the names, hovering over his sister, Anna. Should he call her home? No… She could do nothing, and it was probably safer for her to stay away. Maybe Michael would come, but… No, not him either. He'd say it wasn't his problem anymore.

Castiel flicked the list of names upward and watched them slide past until it finally came to a halt with the name 'Dean Winchester' at the top. Yes. Dean could help, if not only to act as a little bit of security. Castiel touched the send message icon and hastily typed out the words. [Dean, I am sorry to contact you at this time, but I need your help.] He waited anxiously as the sending meter slowly filled.

It was late. Maybe Dean wouldn't even get the message until the morning. Would it be weird if he just turned up?

Then the reply came through. [R u ok? Do u need me now]

Castiel deliberated silently for a moment. He didn't want to make Dean worry, lest he not come at all. [Not… really. It's a difficult situation. Can you come now?] Sent. That was good. Perhaps the lack of information will encourage him to come.

While he waited for the response, Castiel had to battle with the uncomfortable feeling of being watched. Then, the sound of his phone vibrating broke the silence. [On my way now, see u soon.] Dean was coming. Castiel felt reassurance spreading throughout his body, and almost instantly the chill of danger left his limbs.

In less than five minutes, there was a knock at the door. Castiel practically sprinted to open it in his anticipation of Dean's arrival. How was he going to explain this to Dean? There were so many scenarios running through his head that he failed to notice that it wasn't Dean standing in the doorway.

"I'm back," he said with a wink.

A solid punch connected with Castiel's gut and he dropped to the floor, taken completely by surprise. He tried to scramble away, but the man standing over him kicked him in the same spot that his fist had landed, and then a few more times for good measure. Castiel rolled over to his side in an effort to avoid more damage to his stomach, receiving the blows to his thigh instead.

Then, Castiel heard him calling out.

"Cas!" Dean screamed. He charged at Castiel's attacker, tackling him to the ground and wrestling his way to the top. Two swift punches from Dean and he was out like a light.

"Cas, are you okay? What happened?" he asked frantically. Dean's eyes immediately flicked to the spot that Castiel was clutching. He knelt down and helped Castiel up into a sitting position.

"I'm… fine. Sore. Thank you, Dean, for coming. I don't know how it would have turned out should you have chosen not to come."

"Cas, are you sure you're okay? Who is that guy?" Dean indicated over his shoulder to where he had dropped the man.

Castiel grimaced. "He… is my cousin. One of my cousins. You may even know of them: they run LeviCorp."

"You mean that big law firm? The one that has their hands in a little bit of every pie?" replied Dean.

Castiel stood up, grunting through the pain in his stomach and leg, not looking forward to the bruises that would surely be left behind. He leaned gingerly against the wall, removing any weight from the leg that bore the most damage. "Yes, well, they're not so big any more. One of the higher ups was caught with his hand in the wrong pie, and the whole company took the fall."

Dean contemplated those words. "That doesn't really explain why they attacked you. What do they want?"

"Money, most likely," replied Castiel. "What else." He looked up at Dean, and saw the indecision upon his face. Castiel panicked; afraid that he had scared Dean into leaving him.

"C'mon, Cas, you're staying with me tonight. Is Anna safe?"

A rush of affection surged through Castiel. Dean was watching him carefully, his deep green eyes crinkled with concern. "Yes, she's at her friend's house. I'll tell her not to come home, she'll know why straight away."

Dean waited around whilst Castiel collected some of his things together – Castiel insisted on only staying for two, three days max, but in the end Dean had convinced him that a week at least was best.

"Cas, you're more than welcome to stay with me for as long as you need. My house might not be as big and fancy as yours, but it's good enough." Dean nodded, accepting his own words as he spoke them. Castiel could see that there would be no way to say no to him now.

"Okay."

Castiel packed a small suitcase of clothing and a few other things that he needed, like his iPhone charger, electric shaver and toothbrush. He did not notice how much Dean seemed to be enjoying the sight of Castiel bent over the suitcase, arranging everything neatly so that his things looked like a game of Tetris. He turned around to tell Dean that he was done and he caught the man with a slightly glazed over look in his eye, like what you get when you stare at something for too long.

Dean dragged the unconscious body out into the backyard and left it out on the grass. After spending too much time trying to decide what to do with the man, they decided that they would just lock him out of the house. Castiel went around to every single window and door to ensure that they were shut tight while Dean collected the unprepared taco ingredients into a plastic container.

Castiel was constantly watching Dean out of the corner of his eye, and when he licked the taco sauce from his finger Castiel had to fight off the urge (well, the main reason he didn't succumb was his newly sustained injuries) to pounce on him and start licking something else.

"Cas," said Dean. "Why're you just standing there? You ready to go?"

"Uhh… yes," replied Castiel.

Dean carried all of Castiel's things to the trunk of his car and heaved them all in at once. An amused grin spread across Castiel's face. "You could have just let me carry something. Or done multiple trips."

"Nah," replied Dean, shrugging nonchalantly, "if I can handle it, why not?"

Dean opened the car door and slipped inside, beckoning for Castiel to follow. Once they were both seated, Castiel noticed that Dean was staring at him as if a question were about to come. Dean opened his mouth to speak, but closed it again and started up the car.

"Why did you call me instead of the police?" Dean asked.

The question caught Castiel by surprise, and even more surprising was how quickly his answer came. "You… make me feel safe."

"Oh?" replied Dean, not taking his eyes off the road. Castiel could not face him, afraid of what he might see in his expression, but out of the corner of his eye it seemed like pain.

Castiel gulped. "I'm sorry, Dean. Did I make you uncomfortable? Turn around, I'll just-"

"No, you're staying with me, like we already discussed." Dean interrupted. "I'm just worried if… Are you sure there's no other reason that you can't go to the police? Something that I should know about?"

Castiel swallowed his fear and turned to face the other man. "Dean. Trust me. You needn't worry about this, but should anything change you will be the first to know."

"Okay, Cas. I trust you."

Castiel turned to look out of the window as the impact of Dean's words hit him. He was now _trusted _by a man whom he had only met a few days ago –one that also potentially saved his life _twice_– and Castiel swore to himself that he would do everything in his power to live up to it. Castiel was not the type of person to just let someone in, and Dean did not seem to fit that persona either, but for some reason the two of them just worked. It was then, in this strange moment of happiness, that the realisation of the attack hit him. "Dean, are we almost there? I feel… sick."

"Yeah Cas, hold on. A minute or so."

Castiel was visibly shaking and his face lost all color. He could have died tonight, and for what? What were his cousins seeking? Castiel knew it was wishful thinking when he hoped that it was only one of them, but deep down he knew it would be all of them, the damn entire Leviathan family. He had only encountered them once in the past, and that was more than enough. Finding out who they were, it ruined the family and changed the way Castiel thought about his father forever. Hell, it was only through sheer force of will that they left, after Cas' father struck a deal with them and sent them off. A few weeks after that, 'LeviCorp' rapidly rose and became one of, if not _the, _most sought after law firms. They slowly built up their reputation as one of the most skilled companies, and they went every year without losing a single case – sometimes, they somehow managed to secure a win for the most corrupt people.

Of course, all good (well, not that the Leviathans were good) things must come to an end, and thanks to the diligent efforts of one of the best employees at LeviCorp, all of their nasty secrets came to light: extortion, blackmail, you name it – they had done it. And now they were here, for something. Surely, money was a part of it, but there had to be something more. It shamed Castiel to think of it but money was nothing to him, or his family, but the violent nature of their reappearance suggested something else entirely.

Dean slowly pulled up outside the front of his house and turned to Castiel, who returned the stare. Under the odd light, Castiel noticed that Dean's eyes were all green and gold and glittering - like a sprawling field speckled with many yellow daisies. His eyes alluded to a spirit full of life and joy, the type of person that was bright and loving.

But Castiel couldn't help but feel that something must've happened to Dean to diminish that light. Looking at him, it just seemed like that that was not all there was to him. He was hiding himself for some reason; he was afraid of something.

Yet here he was, asking if Castiel was okay. The fear must have been plain on his face, but Dean simply sat there, concerned for his friend.

"I'm okay, and I mean it this time. Thank you, Dean," replied Castiel.

When Dean led the way inside, carrying all of Castiel's things once again, Sam was still sitting on the couch watching late night television. Dean put the bags down by the door. "Wait here a sec, I need to wake Sam and then I'll give you the grand tour," he said, winking.

A few moments later, Dean returned with his younger brother in tow. "Sam, this is Castiel. Castiel, Sam."

"Hey, Sam," Castiel replied pleasantly. "I noticed you were watching True Blood. I could hear it from here. It's pretty great, no?"

"Yeah," replied Sam. "It is."

Sam was grinning mischievously for a reason unknown to Castiel, yet it seemed completely obvious to the two brothers standing before him.

"Get to bed Sammy. School tomorrow." Dean glared at his brother, an expression that clearly stated 'don't you fucking dare.'

"Whatever Dean. Night _Cas_." The way Sam had said his name sounded like a mild insult, not directed at Castiel but Dean instead. The youngest Winchester winked at the two of them before heading around the corner and into his bedroom.

"Brothers," Dean said, laughing. "You learn to love 'em."

"Indeed," replied Castiel. "You said something about the grand tour?"

Dean nodded. "I did. It won't last very long though, there isn't much to it. But since you're standing here now, we'll get started."

Dean took Castiel through all of the main rooms of the house. The front door opened out into a small hallway, with a set of stairs on the left and a lounge room on the right. At the back of the lounge was a small kitchen with a dining table in the centre that could seat four people at most, and even that was pushing it. A door in the kitchen led out into a small backyard that was overgrown with weeds, and any plants that would have grown there were long since gone. A basketball hoop with a rusty chain net stood idly by in the back corner, looking as though it had not been touched for many years, perhaps even longer than the garden had. Castiel looked over at Dean just in time to see him smile sadly at the forlorn appearance of the back yard.

"C'mon, Cas, lets gets this tour moving."

They went back in through the kitchen door, and to its right was a small laundry room. Dean led Castiel to the base of the stairs, and indicated to his left at the room Sam had entered earlier.

"That's Sammy's room. I don't recommend going in there unless you want to be assaulted by the vile smells of a growing boy. 'Round the corner from here and that's the bathroom downstairs, and up these stairs is my room. Any questions?"

"Yes," replied Castiel. "Just one. Where am I to sleep?"

Dean looked at the couch, and then back to Castiel. "The couch was much bigger when I pictured it in my head. Looks like you're bunking with me, tonight."

Castiel turned to pick up his things in order to hide the growing smile that spread across his face. For a few moments, he had forgotten about the pain in his stomach and attempted to pick up the heavy suitcase.

"Woah, Cas, let me handle that. You head on up stairs and have a shower or something. Call me when you're done."

Castiel made his way up the stairs, lingering at the top in hesitation. Dean was making his way up slowly and delicately, placing each step down securely before he even thought of taking the next one. It was strange, for Castiel, to be taken care of by someone else. Sure, Anna helped when she was asked, but coming from Dean, who was practically a stranger still, it felt so much more… like a gift.

Dean handed Castiel a fresh towel, asking if there was anything else he needed before he left him alone. With a gentle shake of the head, Castiel locked the door to the bathroom behind himself. This bathroom was tiny, smaller than even the pantry at Castiel's home, but it did not bother him. In fact, had Dean not called out to apologise for the size, he probably would not have noticed at all.

Soon enough, the bathroom was filled with hot steamy air, a gentle comfort to Castiel who was gingerly washing the ever expanding bruise on his stomach. He let the thick soapy layer roll down over his legs, enjoying the feeling it provided. The scent of shampoo wafted around, filling Castiel's nostrils with a familiar scent, one that took him a few moments to discern the origin of.

It was Dean, or more accurately, Dean's shampoo. In the instant that the realisation hit him, it seemed to hit his dick too and it sprung to full attention.

Castiel groaned irately at himself, cursing his inability to keep it down, especially with the object of his desires waiting obliviously just beyond a locked door.

_Pull yourself together, Castiel. _He kept repeating that thought over and over in his head as he slipped on a pair of briefs and a loose fitting shirt. In his rush to pack some clothes, Castiel didn't really consider the notion that he'd be sleeping in a bed with Dean, so he had no other longer clothing appropriate for sleeping in. He shrugged and unlocked the bathroom door, stepping out to find Dean already changed and under the covers. The television was on, but the volume was so low as to be almost inaudible. It looked to Castiel as if Dean were in deep thought, his facial expression pensive.

Castiel's eyes raked over Dean's body, taking in every shape under the blanket and coming to a halt at the faint lump that rose from where his legs began.

Dean looked up suddenly, realising that Castiel had entered the room. "How're you feeling, Cas?" he asked, sitting up and revealing to Castiel that he was not wearing a shirt.

_Oh God. _Even under the low light, Castiel could see the smooth skin of Dean's chest. He looked perfect, sitting there smiling, and his nipples were so – _mmmm. _

"Cas?" Dean asked again, looking slightly more alarmed after getting no response. "Are you okay?"

There it was again. '_Are you okay?' _said with real concern. Dean's voice pulled Castiel out of his thoughts. "Yes, just tired. Are you sure you don't mind, Dean? I could-"

"Dammit, Cas. I've already told you. Now shut up and get into bed, I'm tired," Dean snapped, rolling onto his side after switching off the television.

Castiel obediently did as he was told, and as he lifted up the covers of Dean's bed, the moonlight from outside briefly illuminated an unclothed leg. Castiel swallowed, his throat suddenly become dry, and slid into the bed beside Dean. Castiel shifted his weight around several times before he was finally comfortable, earning a groan of happiness from the man beside him.

An hour passed, then two, and the third was rapidly approaching. Try as he might, he could not fall asleep.

"Dean?" mumbled Castiel, voice groggy with tiredness. Dean did not stir, so he nudged him gently until he was roused from his sleep.

"This better be good," Dean growled.

"I'm cold," Castiel replied, his voice almost a whisper.

Castiel watched the back of Dean's head intently, willing him to turn around.

Dean turned, his eyes barely open. "C'mere," he replied lazily, turning back over and lifting his arm up in invitation.

Castiel barely disguised his sharp intake of breath. Dean was lying there, completely naked. "But Dean, your pants," Castiel stammered.

"I'm not holding my arm up forever, C_astiel_,stay cold or come over and spoon me. Besides, you're the one who wanted to fuck me in the kitchen at Wings."

"Dean – what?"

Dean grunted again, and began to lower his arm. "You've got about three seconds. Make up your mind."

The countdown was on, and halfway through the 'one' Castiel scooted over and pressed himself up against him. Dean, much to Castiel's surprise, pulled Castiel's arm over and cradled it with his own, creating a feeling that Castiel enjoyed greatly. Dean was definitely not half-assing this so Castiel decided he wouldn't either - he slipped his leg in between Dean's, which seemed to cause the man to ease himself further into Castiel's arms.

"Hey Cas," murmured Dean.

"Yes?"

"That better be a flashlight in your pants…"

Castiel choked, unable to reply to what Dean had said. He hadn't even noticed his raging hard-on was wedged up against Dean's back.

Dean's gentle laugh trailed off slowly as he returned to sleep. Castiel breathed a sigh of relief, happy that Dean's tiredness got in the way of an awkward situation.

That night, Castiel slept peacefully. Even though the reason they shared a bed was purely a lack of space, Castiel could not help but feel safe and sound lying beside Dean. His dreams were peaceful, and though he would not remember it in the morning, the field he was dreaming about was one of the most heart-meltingly beautiful things he had ever seen. Rolling green hills belied the true beauty of the place Castiel was in - if one took the time to stop and truly examine the ground, you would see many tiny golden flowers springing forth.

* * *

**A/N: So, for now, I've decided to stick with this format for the story. I really like giving the option to see everything from both Dean and Castiel's point of view, and I think you're going to enjoy seeing what Dean thinks about while Castiel's in the bathroom! So, thanks for letting me know what you thought, I appreciate it! And again, kudos to the lovely folk who took the time to review, favorite or follow both me and/or Wings! **

**A Midnight Charade: Thank you! Glad to hear you're enjoying it, I hope to have the next chapter up in a few days, but it's my birthday on Wednesday so I might not have it up until after then!  
**

**veryhungryhippo: Yes, that's exactly what I was worried about, the whole redundancy thing. It was actually the reason I asked what everyone thought of the format lol. Thanks for leaving a review, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter!  
**

**Guest: Domo arigato, friend! Glad to hear you're enjoying this :)  
**

**TerrorInYerBathtub: First of all, your name. How bizarre. I love it! Thanks, and right on man, peace to you too!  
**

******xDoItForTehLulz:******** haha, nope, not Balthazar! I like him too much to make him into that much of a bad guy! I hope that the cousins identity surprised you, and in a good way... Anyway, thanks for leaving a review!**

**ironicallyironman:**** Gosh, thank you! I don't even know what to say, but thank you! It literally gave me the hugest smile for the whole day when I read your review :) I'm actually nervous now, I hope this lives up to your expectations haha!**

**Man, I bet you guys are as sick of reading the word 'thank you' as I am of typing it, but there really is no substitute... So thank you again to everyone who is reading this! **

**Peace out~**


	6. Dean – Day Three

_Dean – Day Three, in which he sees an angel._

The drive over to Castiel's place was fraught with many questions, most of which did not have pleasant answers. Why had Castiel needed Dean's help, and why at this time of night? What was it about whatever Castiel was doing that required Dean? All of these questions were swimming around inside Dean's head as he sped along the back roads to Castiel's house.

The headlights on the car briefly illuminated a street sign that let Dean know he was getting close to his destination, and as soon as he pulled up out the front, he noticed that the door was wide open. He dashed up the path and as he got closer the sounds of a struggle became clear.

"Cas!" Dean screamed, spotting his friend lying on the ground. A man was standing over him, kicking repeatedly. He charged, putting all of his weight behind him in an effort to knock the man over. The two of them rolled twice, and Dean fought to end up on top, which he did so only barely. Once the man was pinned down, Dean punched him once in the throat to lessen the struggling, and then once more in the head to silence him. He waited a few moments to make sure that the attacker was unconscious before rushing to Castiel's side.

Dean examined Castiel for any severe damage, his eyes flicking to the spot on his stomach where Cas seemed to have taken the most punishment. "Cas, are you okay? What happened?"

After several questions about Castiel's wellbeing, Dean finally moved on to what was arguably a more important subject: what exactly was going on?

Dean noticed a look of pain from the other man as he explained who the attacker was. "He… is my cousin. One of my cousins. You may even know of them: they run LeviCorp."

"You mean that big law firm? The one that has their hands in a little bit of every pie?" Dean asked.

It'd be lying to say that Dean was not mildly alarmed at this point. He was not one to keep up with the news, as that was more of Sam's area of expertise, but he did know of LeviCorp and the ferocity with which they pursued their goals. According to Castiel, the company had been all but destroyed by a massive scandal.

That explanation left Dean with more questions and less answers, as he was still uncertain as to _why _exactly they were after Castiel.

"Money, most likely," said Castiel. "What else?"

_If he helped Cas, would it put both himself and his brother in danger? _Dean pondered on the thought, looking from the face of the unconscious man and back up to Castiel, as if he were trying to glean information right from the source. Then, he spotted it, behind Castiel's eyes: genuine fear. It was not fear born from weakness, however, that much was certain. From what he'd learned about Castiel, he seemed pretty capable of handling things on his own. If that wasn't what was scaring him, then what was?

"C'mon, Cas, you're staying with me tonight. Is Anna safe?"

The sudden change of Castiel's expression led Dean to believe that perhaps the only thing Castiel was afraid of was scaring people away. Dean specifically. "Yes, she's at her friend's house. I'll tell her not to come home, she'll know why straight away."

"Go get your things, Cas. I'll wait here."

The only thing that was on Dean's mind right now was the quality – or lack thereof – of his home. Compared to Castiel's 'Chateau,' where he was living might as well be the outhouse where the groundskeeper did his business. It was not like Dean to be ashamed of things like that, but he felt different about Cas for some reason. He was so worried that Castiel would think him inferior.

"Dean, I'll only stay for two, three days maximum, okay?" Castiel was shouting from somewhere else in the house, though Dean could not pick even the direction.

"Cas, you're more than welcome to stay with me for as long as you need. My house might not be as big and fancy as yours, but it's good enough." Dean nodded, silently reaffirming his decision. It was too late to back out now, even if he was nervous about the mess that Castiel would find. The more he thought about it, the more certain Dean became that hosting a guest was a good idea. In fact, if anything were to happen to Castiel, it was most likely that Dean would be out of work. "Cas. You're staying with me as long as it takes for you to be safe, be it one week or one month." Dean could only hope that his tone implied no other choice.

"Okay," replied Castiel, and at that Dean let out a sigh of relief.

An odd dragging sound came from behind Dean, so he spun on his heel ready to strike only to see Castiel pulling an old suitcase along with one hand, while balancing a pile of things in the other. He turned around, talking over his shoulder to Dean, and began to pack his things. "Sorry, I had to get these things from the kitchen and…"

Anything Castiel said fell on deaf ears as Dean became focussed on one thing (or two, if you were counting each cheek), presented in all its glory right there in front of him. Slowly but surely, his mind wandered and he did not even notice that Castiel had finished packing and was waiting for a reply.

"Dean? Are you alright? Is that… are you drooling?"

"What? No!" snapped Dean, returning to his usual alert state. "You done? What're we gonna do with the big guy?"

There were several ways that they could have dealt with the situation, none of them even overtly pleasant. Even if they did go to the police, it would only irritate the Leviathans and push them into more drastic action. In the end, Dean decided that simply locking him out of the house was the best idea. Dean gripped the arms of the man tight and dragged him out into the back yard as per Castiel's direction. It didn't take long, but a series of photos on the wall that Dean spotted on his way back inside gave him pause. They were all undoubtedly of Castiel's family. First there was Anna, the vivid color of her hair unmistakable even in a small child. Standing beside her was a young boy of perhaps eleven or twelve, bearing a glare of sorts that one would expect in a soldier. Beside him was another young man, perhaps looking the most out of place if only because of the mischievous glimmer in his eyes. Then, there was Castiel, the youngest of them all. Even in this decade old photograph, one could easily see the man that he would become.

A smile spread across Dean's face as he spotted more of baby Cas and his family, and even though each of them looked quite different, there was one thing that linked them all together and erased any doubts of their kinship – their extreme paucity of expression. They shared the cool, vigilant stare of a desk officer. Some might find that unnerving, but Dean found it… endearing. He made a mental note to coerce Cas into sharing some of his old family photos.

When he returned, Castiel was in the kitchen packing up the unprepared dinner into some Tupperware containers. He looked up at Dean as he re-entered the room. "I trust that you eat tacos?"

"Of course, I'll eat practically anything. Tacos are _delicious. _Lemme do that, you go lock up okay?" Dean replied, delight lighting up his face.

Castiel had already sorted the lettuce and things like that into a container, leaving only the meat, onion and taco sauce behind. Looking at all the food was making him rather hungry, so he 'accidentally' dipped his finger in the sauce to get a little taste. Out of the corner of his eye, Dean noticed that Castiel was staring at him intently.

If you were to ask Dean Winchester why he did what he did next, he'd not be able to come up with a solid answer. Again, you could probably chalk up his odd behaviour to Castiel, with the reason being that he just _affected _Dean.

With a hidden grin, Dean suggestively licked his finger clean, trying to look as innocent as possible. His movements were slow and deliberate, and he took great pleasure when he noticed the effect it was having on his friend.

After a few more moments, when he was certain Castiel was his, he stopped and sealed the container. "C'mon, you ready?" No answer, just a blank stare. "Cas," said Dean. "Why're you just standing there? You ready to go?"

Castiel nodded, mumbling in agreement.

At that, Dean instantly picked up all of Castiel's things and headed out the front door. It probably would have been far easier, and not to mention logical, for Dean to make multiple trips. Castiel offered help, but Dean shook his head.

When he was a child and his home life was relatively normal, both he and his brother would often make a game of it and see who could carry in the most bags at once. They'd load up on as many as their arms could hold and waddled inside, whilst their parents watched over them with loving smiles.

"Nah," replied Dean, shrugging nonchalantly, "if I can handle it, why not?" He walked around to the driver's side of the car and pulled the door open. In his usual swift motion, Dean sat down in the seat and opened the passenger side, beckoning for Castiel to follow.

The air between the two of them was filled with questions, with both men hoping for answers. Castiel wanted to know _why _Dean was being so great, as he was unused to such kindness from his friends and family, let alone a man he had not known until recently. Dean, on the other hand, was experiencing an odd sensation. He wanted to trust Castiel completely, but all of the words that Castiel said sounded as if he were leaving something important unsaid. For example, his statement that the Leviathans were not a danger to the Winchester brothers might be taken to mean that something else was.

So many thoughts came after that, so Dean just said what immediately came to mind. "Why did you call me instead of the police?"

"You… make me feel safe," Castiel replied instantly.

Those words filled Dean with warmth, giving him a feeling of warmth that spread from his chest until there was a tingling sensation in all of his limbs. A simple "Oh," was all Dean could summon at that point, unable to even meet Castiel's gaze. That warmth, however, turned to a chill as he realised that the feeling of safety was not very well placed: after all, almost everyone (excluding Sammy) that had gotten close to Dean got screwed over. Not by Dean, but by something else that forced them apart. Eventually, Dean took it to mean that he was bad luck, so he simply stopped reaching out to form relationships. It pained him to think that Castiel saw him as a safe place, because how long would that last?

Castiel gulped, obviously noticing that something was troubling Dean. "I'm sorry, Dean. Did I make you uncomfortable? Turn around, I'll just-"

"No, you're staying with me, like we already discussed." Dean interrupted. "I'm just worried if… Are you sure there's no other reason that you can't go to the police? Something that I should know about?"

Dean was still staring dead ahead, but he noticed that Castiel was now facing him when he started to speak. "Dean. Trust me. You needn't worry about this, but should anything change you will be the first to know."

Castiel spoke so softly, then, that Dean instantly caved, wanting to do nothing but take care of the other man. He spared a glance to his side, seeing the look of hope shining in blue eyes. "Okay, Cas. I trust you."

It made Dean happy to say that. He continued driving, enjoying the silence and revelling in the feelings of love that were growing between them.

"Dean, are we almost there? I feel… sick," murmured Castiel.

"Yeah Cas, hold on. A minute or so." Dean guessed that what had happened was only now just hitting Castiel, and he could see that the other man was shaking. He stealthily put his foot down on the accelerator, hoping to get Castiel to comfort sooner rather than later.

Gravel crunched under the car tires as Dean turned into the driveway, the headlights of the car illuminating the old wooden garage door. He stopped just short of it and turned off the car, turning to face Castiel and make sure that he was okay. "Cas," Dean said gently. "Promise me you're okay?"

Castiel looked back at Dean, giving him a look so intensely beautiful that he almost looked away. Only now did he notice the true shade of blue in Castiel's eyes. It reminded him of a better time, a memory that was so pure and happy that Dean was almost certain that it was a dream.

He was sitting on a beach beside his mother, the two of them staring out at the big blue waves crashing down over the rocks on the shore. This memory was so vivid that he could fully visualise the cross-hatch pattern of Mary's white, wide-brim hat. His father was out in the water with baby Sam in his arms, the two of them sharing a look of pure joy. Dean smiled at the sight, and his mother tapped him on the shoulder.

"I love you Dean," she said.

"I love you more," he replied.

She smiled sadly, but Dean was too young to discern the difference between that and a regular smile. "I love you most."

That was one of the last memories Dean had of Mary Winchester, and one of Dean's most prized possessions. And he saw it every time he looked into Castiel's eyes.

"I'm okay, and I mean it this time. Thank you, Dean," replied Castiel.

Dean nodded and then exited the car. He circled around to the boot and swung it open to retrieve all of Castiel's gear. Once it was all balanced in his arms, Dean led the way to the front door. He asked Castiel to open it and once they were inside he put everything down by his side.

"Wait here a sec, I need to wake Sam and then I'll give you the grand tour." Dean walked over to the couch where Sam was sitting wrapped in a snuggie.

"Sam?" Dean asked, loudly.

His younger brother scrambled into an upright position, a look of intense shame burning hot on his face. "I'm wearing it as a joke!" he exclaimed.

Dean raised an eyebrow. "Right. C'mon, introduce yourself to Castiel and then get to bed please."

Sam gave Dean his usual bitchface before getting up and turning off the television set. The two brothers returned to the entrance, Sam trailing behind awkwardly.

"Sam, this is Castiel. Castiel, Sam."

"Hey, Sam," Castiel replied pleasantly. "I noticed you were watching True Blood. I could hear it from here. It's pretty great, no?"

"Yeah," replied Sam. "It is."

Dean 'gently' nudged his brother in the ribs, knowing all too well what he was smirking about. Castiel knew something was up, too, so Dean hurriedly kicked his brother into bed.

"Get to bed Sammy. School tomorrow." Dean glared at his brother, hoping that his expression alerted Sam that he was standing on thin ice.

"Whatever Dean. Night _Cas_." Sam spun on his heel, winking at the two men before dashing off to his room.

"Brothers," Dean said, laughing. "You learn to love 'em."

"Indeed," replied Castiel. "You said something about the grand tour?"

Dean nodded. "I did. It won't last very long though, there isn't much to it. But since you're standing here now, we'll get started."

His worries that Castiel would not want to stay turned out entirely unfounded, as the other man did not even seem to _think _about the differences that their standards of living shared. It was a relief to get it over and done with, but as soon as it was over Dean was presented with a situation he had not really thought about at all up until this point.

"Where am I to sleep?" Castiel asked.

_Fuck. _Dean had just assumed the couch would be big enough, but looking at it now proved that to not be the case. "The couch was much bigger when I pictured it in my head. Looks like you're bunking with me, tonight."

Dean mentally face-palmed, cursing himself for not planning this out better. Castiel attempted to pick up his things, but Dean's arm whipped out and stopped him before he could hurt himself. "Woah, Cas, let me handle that. You head on up stairs and have a shower or something. Call me when you're done." He waited until Castiel was at the top before he slowly followed. Each step was taken carefully so as to prevent a fall. Once everything was sitting down in his room, Dean retrieved a clean towel and handed it to Castiel. "There's shampoo and stuff already in there. If you need anything, gimme a yell."

Castiel shook his head, thanking Dean before closing the door to the bathroom. Dean stepped back until he fell down onto his bed, exhaling loudly in relief. He sat back upright as soon as he got a whiff of his own body odour, immediately deciding that a shower downstairs would be best. He grabbed another towel and made his way to the other bathroom, and with each step he had to fight back the images of Castiel that were forming in his head. He was so close to Dean that he could almost _taste _him. The shower was very quick, something Dean had picked up (and something he wished his brother would) in order to cut down on water usage. Just as he dried himself off, he heard the water of the upstairs shower turned off too. Wanting to get into bed before Castiel, Dean sprinted up the stairs and leapt into bed completely naked.

It was kinda cruel to mess with Castiel like this, Dean thought, but… oh well. Worth it. He turned the television on, eliciting a small fist pump when 'Adventure Time' showed up on the screen. It was the genderbent episode too – his favourite. Dean looked up suddenly at the sound of footsteps, realising that Castiel had entered the room. "How're you feeling, Cas?" he asked, sitting up and leaning against the headboard.

Castiel stood there, staring, not even registering that Dean had said something. "Cas?" Dean asked again, looking slightly more alarmed after getting no response. "Are you okay?"

Castiel was finally roused from his trance, his gaze snapping to Dean at once. "Yes, just tired. Are you sure you don't mind, Dean? I could-"

Sometimes, Dean just wished people would shut up, and now was one of them. He thought he'd been pretty clear to Castiel that he had no choice but to stay with him. "Dammit, Cas. I've already told you. Now shut up and get into bed, I'm tired," Dean snapped. He switched off the television and rolled onto his side, waiting for Castiel to get in beside him. After a few moments, he felt the weight of another body in his bed and closed his eyes. He really was tired. Almost instantly, he was asleep.

Dean awoke to someone nudging him gently, and at first he assumed it was Sam waking him for some unknown yet still very annoying reason. "This better be good," Dean growled.

"I'm cold," he replied, whispering softly. Dean was shocked to hear someone else's voice.

Slowly, he turned his head to get a better look at his bed partner. Dean's eyes widened as he saw an angel staring back at him, complete with the halo of moonlight surrounding his head. "C'mere," Dean said lazily, turning back over and lifting his arm up in invitation. Dean was in an odd state of mind, gradually becoming aware of his surroundings, yet still experiencing the fog of sleeplessness. He must be dreaming again, he thought.

"But Dean, your pants," Castiel stammered.

"I'm not holding my arm up forever, C_astiel_,stay cold or come over and spoon me. Besides, you're the one who wanted to fuck me in the kitchen at Wings." He wondered if this dream Castiel was the same as the other one.

"Dean – what?"

Dean grunted again, and began to lower his arm. "You've got about three seconds. Make up your mind."

After about two seconds, Dean felt another body pressed up to his back. He was indeed cold, but it did not bother him. In fact, he wanted Castiel even closer, so he grabbed his arm and pulled him in and closing the gap between them completely. Dean smiled as he found Castiel's leg in between his own, tangling their limbs together. Dean shifted backward, only very slightly, and relaxed into Castiel's arms completely. Their bodies felt like two pieces of a puzzle, clicking together perfectly.

Then, Dean noticed something that was distinctly solid pressed into the ridge above his butt cheeks. "Hey Cas," he murmured.

"Yes?"

"That better be a flashlight in your pants…" A small grin graced his mouth, before finally fading back into the peaceful look of deep sleep.

For a few moments of gentle dreaming, Dean was a child again.

_It's so bright in this place. Where am I? Where are all these feathers coming from..? They're so soft, and white. Like clouds. White, and beautiful, like mom's hat. I miss her so much. Oh! More feathers, it's getting hard to see. They're falling… Is that… an angel? What's happening to its wings? Is he hurt? Oh no, he's falling. I'll catch you! You… look familiar. Your eyes. They're so blue. Like the sea._

_The angel smiled._

* * *

**A/N: Yes... the more I write/think about it, the more I like the idea of the dual P.O.V. It gives me the chance to explore the way both of them react to the same situation which I think is pretty neat. Shout out to all the followers and people who favorited the fic, you guys are fantastic and I hope you enjoyed the chapter!**

******ironicallyironman: I'm so happy that I made you smile, it feels great to know I've done that for someone! Sorry I took a little longer than expected to write this chapter though, I didn't have much time! Thanks for your review, it made me really happy to see :)**

**************xDoItForTehLulz: Thanks for the review, and I'd just like to point out that you were not entirely wrong about Balthazar, but I cannot say anymore lest I give something important away before its time! Thanks for the review :)**

******************TerrorInYerBathtub: Yeah, Castiel is pretty lucky. I wish that I had a knight like that haha! I wonder how often Dean will confuse his dreams with reality? *foreshadowing* ooooh haha! Thank you for leaving a review :)**

**********************pappy: Nothing's ever easy though, is it! As bad as Cas would have wanted it, though... ah well. Maybe soon ;)**

**********************So once more, a big thank you to y'all and I hope you've enjoyed this chapter! The main reason it took so long is Borderlands 2 and Guild Wars 2 which I got for my birthday... So that's where my time has gone! But fear not, friends, I shall strive to write as often as possible! IF any of you play Guild Wars, shoot me a PM and we can play together some time!**

**********************Love~**


	7. Castiel – Day Four

_Castiel – Day Four, in which the reason becomes clear._

The sunlight filtered in through the gap in the curtain, landing directly over Castiel's now open eyes. He shifted slightly, not quite ready to get out of bed, and watched the particles of dust floating about in the air. Dean was breathing faintly by his side, the gentle rise and fall of his chest warming the cockles of Castiel's heart. It had never occurred to him just how peaceful people can look in sleep, with the man beside him being a shining example of the restorative effect. Castiel took one last elongated look at Dean before slipping from his arms and out of the bed. Dean grunted slightly at the movement, but quickly resumed his silence mere seconds later.

Castiel dressed quickly, and then gingerly made his way out of the room and into the kitchen downstairs. No one else seemed to be awake, so he sat down on the couch and looked over the notifications on his phone. There was a text from Anna, telling Cas that she was okay but she would have to leave town for a while in order to keep safe. He quickly shot her a reply, questioning her reasons for leaving him in charge of the café until she returned. It was not supposed to be his turn at opening Wings today, which kinda pissed him off. Sorry folks, the café won't be open for a while.

The rest of the notifications were about small things that Castiel took interest in, with one of them in particular catching his eye. GISHWHES (The Greatest International Scavenger Hunt the World Has Ever Seen) 2012 was starting soon, and it was time to sign up for a team. He saved a screenshot so that he would not forget to join up when he had access to a proper computer.

Speaking of, apart from the two televisions, there seemed to be nothing else of the sort in the house. Using his iPhone, Castiel quickly scanned for any internet connections.

"Well, Dean, I think I know how I'm going to pay you back for your kindness," Castiel whispered to himself. A quick call to his current internet service provider yielded the information he needed, and in no time at all he had arranged for a connection to be made at this residence. The bill would be deducted from his own account, of course. "When is the soonest time you can come and install it?" he said to the operator.

For once, Castiel was grateful for his father's many connections. The man on the line recognised the name from his account details and offered to come out personally later that night to set it up. A curt goodbye and a thank you later left Castiel with a fuzzy feeling, knowing that he had done something (no matter how small) to help out the Winchester brothers.

Mere seconds after hanging up the phone, Sam entered the lounge room and bode good morning to Castiel, rubbing away the sleep from his eyes. Stifling a massive yawn, the youngest Winchester stumbled to the fridge and reached in for the milk and orange juice. Instead of pouring himself a glass, he drank straight from the bottle and gave a light smirk in Castiel's direction when he noticed that he was being watched.

"So, Dean awake yet?" he asked.

"Not yet."

"Did he say anything about taking me to school today?"

Castiel was silent for a moment, attempting to recall any conversation on the topic that he may have had with Dean. "I cannot say, though I think he's really tired after last night. We were up pretty late."

Sam spat out his juice, snorting with laughter at Castiel's poorly chosen words. "God, I know Dean is sweet on you, but come on, that _fast?_"

Castiel flushed red, fumbling for words. "N-no, not that! I didn't mean – is it hot in here?"

"Sam, stop tormenting our guest," interrupted Dean.

_Thank God for Dean Winchester – saving me again. How many times is he going to be there? _Castiel thought.

It was an enjoyable thing, watching the Winchester's go through their morning ritual. So far, it seemed that Castiel had not interrupted things one bit, so he was quite happy with that. Dean was fretting over the fact that he had no food to give Sam for lunch, nor did he have the money so he could buy it himself. He reluctantly allowed Castiel to 'lend' Sam twenty dollars (Cas did not want, nor expect to be payed back), and shortly after that, it was time for Dean to take Sam to school.

"I'll be ten minutes Cas, and I'll pick up some breakfast on the way back okay?" said Dean.

"Take your time," Castiel replied.

Alone in the house that Dean Winchester lived in, with ten minutes to entertain himself. What to do? Not much, apparently. Castiel searched in vain for photo frames, hoping to get a glimpse of baby Dean – just like Dean had paused to stop and admire all of the ones of himself back at his place. After that turned out less than fruitful, Castiel resigned himself to sitting in front of the television to catch the morning news.

A silver haired man with deep brown eyes was reading out the latest headlines, most of them things that Castiel chose not to listen to. He was about to change to the cartoon channel when something caught his attention.

"A young woman – believed to be connected to the downfall of LeviCorp – has gone missing recently. Whether it was her going into hiding, or the doing of the company she allegedly brought down, police are still searching for clues. She was last sighted with another woman of about the same age and of a similar appearance just outside of her hometown. If anyone has information, or knows these two women-" a picture came up beside him "-please alert the police. It could save a life, or even two." After a brief pause, the newscaster moved on to the next topic, but Castiel was no longer listening.

The picture was of his sister, Anna, and standing beside her was her friend Charlie. Castiel kicked himself for not piecing it together earlier – now he knew exactly why the Leviathans were after him. They believed he knew the whereabouts of Charlie. And if he knew the Leviathans, they would stop at nothing until she was in their vile grip.

Obviously, whether he liked it or not, Castiel had to do something to help out a friend in need. But what, really, could he do? Short of getting Charlie and Anna sent away for a while (he just assumed that Anna would not let her go alone), there wasn't much else. Perhaps they were off working on a plan and everything would be okay. One could only hope.

"Cas," Dean called. "Open the door, my hands are full."

Even though he heard Dean's voice, Castiel hesitated at the door for a moment. He quickly peeked out of the nearby glass, further proving to himself that it was indeed Dean standing outside.

"You do know how to open a door, don't you?"

With a smirk, Dean stepped inside, mouthing the word 'finally' as he did so. Held snugly in his arms were two bags, filled with groceries, most of which appeared to be bacon and eggs. Much to Castiel's relief, there was also a large box of Frosties tucked in there too. Dean had just absentmindedly purchased his favourite cereal.

"Do you know anything about that Bela girl, who works at the supermarket?"

Castiel looked up in surprise, for two reasons. The first being that he was completely and utterly _into _Dean at that very moment, unable to focus on anything but his wide smile as he unpacked the shopping. The second thing was that he had never heard of a Bela working at the supermarket, and he knew the family that operated the store. They had never hired outside relations, which set off some kind of minor alarm in the back of Castiel's mind.

"No." His succinct response would have come across as rude, but that did not seem to register with Dean, who rested his hand on Castiel's shoulder.

"What's on your mind?" he asked.

For a moment, Castiel was silent. "It's Anna, Dean. You remember how we spoke about that girl who had ruined LeviCorp? Well… that girl is Anna's best friend and I'm pretty sure they've just gone into hiding together. Which is why they're after me: they think I know where they are, or that I can help them find her. The Leviathan are wily and cunning, and I cannot say for certain how many of them are in this. There're so many unknowns, I'm afraid that…"

"Cas?"

Dean's hand was still on Castiel's shoulder, the only thing that was keeping him grounded in reality. "Yes, Dean?" He heaved slightly, heart heavy with worry.

"Don't worry. I'll look out for you. C'mon, let's eat, and then we'll think about what to do okay? Relax with me," Dean replied, a reassuring smile lighting up his face.

Castiel nodded, reaching for the cereal. Dean handed him a bowl and the milk and then turned to the stove. While he ate, Castiel noticed that Dean was humming a sort of familiar tune under his breath, very upbeat and oddly relaxing at the same time.

The smoke that was filling the room, however, soon took precedence in Castiel's thoughts, and he walked around to the stove to check on Dean's cooking, which was… not doing too well, to say the least. Even though it was only bacon and eggs, one of the easiest dishes to cook, Castiel had no choice but to intervene and hopefully save whatever was left of it.

"Here, Dean, let me." Castiel nudged Dean aside with his hips and took the pan in his hand, immediately getting to work on scraping off the burnt bits. For one, the stove was on far too high, effectively burning anything straight away. "How do you like your bacon?"

"Extra crispy," replied Dean. There was an odd glimmer in his eyes, something that Castiel could not recognize though he suspected it to be admiration.

With the heat at a more suitable level, Castiel went through the bags to find anything else that he could add to the meal. Right now was a pretty solid time to show off a little bit in front of Dean, and he intended to make full use of it. He turned to Dean, telling him to go have a shower or something while he finished up the rest of the cooking.

"Uhh, yeah," stuttered Dean, untangling his awkwardly crossed legs. It seemed that cooking was the only thing that was hard for him right now.

Hiding a smirk, Castiel returned to what he was doing. In the bags, he found all the things he needed to make a pretty decent meal, one that they often served at the café on weekends. It consisted of two pieces of toast (though the bread he usually used was of a much higher quality), with the two eggs on top of that and sides of bacon, mushrooms, spinach and tomato.

Once everything was arranged nicely on the plate, he set it down on the table with a knife and fork before heading up the stairs to tell Dean that his food was ready. The bedroom door was shut, but there was no response to his knocking so Castiel stepped inside.

It was quiet, at first. Then he noticed it, the odd breathing and strained noises coming from the bathroom. "Dean?"

The noises stopped, but the breathing remained heavy. "Cas, I'll be down in a minute!"

"You… you okay?" What was Dean doing in there?

"F-fine, just – I'll be down soon, okay?"

The _heat _in his tone sent a strange shiver through Castiel's body, and he was so shaken by it that he simply complied.

_One day, Dean Winchester, you will be mine. And so help me God, it will be the happiest time of my life. _

Unfortunately, due to his zombie-like state, Castiel did not notice that the front door was open, or that there were some familiar-yet-not-so-friendly faces waiting for him at the bottom of the stairs.

Thump.

* * *

Castiel awoke to foreign surroundings, a large empty room scattered with pieces of furniture. Some of them were covered in white cloth, while the others simply stood there by themselves, the dark wood in high contrast with the bright white walls. He tried to shift his position, but found that his hands and feet were bound with tape. No one else appeared to be in the room, thankfully, allowing Castiel some time to think about his predicament and hopefully come up with a way out of it.

Fighting back the rush of panic wasn't easy, with Castiel only barely coming out on top of it. _Deep breaths, Cas. _He looked around for something that he could cut his bindings with; a chair or the sharp edge of a table would be good enough. Rolling onto his side helped him to stand, wobbling momentarily before hopping over to a wooden dining chair in the far corner. He turned his back to it and pressed the tape onto the edge of the chair, listening carefully for the sound of it tearing. Instead, he picked up on hurried that were getting closer and louder.

"Come on!" he muttered under his breath, sawing away as hard as he could.

The ripping finally came, and Castiel's hands were free. The next step was to unbind his legs, and then he could find a way out of here.

His body was extremely sore from being stuck in the same position, leading Castiel to wonder just how long he had been out for. He stretched gingerly, adjusting himself before looking for a weapon he could use to fight if he needed. Fisticuffs were Dean's thing anyway.

Luckily, Castiel was able to remove a leg from the same chair that he had cut himself free on. _You've saved me twice now, Mr. Chair. Perhaps I should call you Dean instead, huh? _Castiel slapped himself in the face, trying to rid himself of the craziness that was creeping in. He wasn't panicking; he was just projecting a personality on an inanimate object so that he wouldn't feel alone right now.

He hid himself just in time to avoid being seen by the two men that entered the room. They did not look familiar to Castiel, but they were definitely a part of the Leviathan family – the bore the same black, malevolent eyes and thin villainous lips that were signature.

"Where the hell is he?" the bigger of the two men shouted. "Wait here!"

The other man simply nodded, his expression remaining blank as he waited by the door.

_Now's your chance. _Castiel crept up behind the man and smashed the chair leg into his head, sending him to the floor in a crumpled heap. He searched the man, hoping for a better weapon, but found only keys instead.

Castiel hurried over to the door, listening for signs of activity on the other side. Satisfied that there were none, he twisted the handle until it clicked open. It opened out into a long and dark hallway, lined with strange paintings that were difficult to make out. Sticking to the shadows, Castiel tiptoed down toward the other end of the hall, checking each room he passed for a safe way out. He found them in the same condition as the room he woke up in: covered in sheets and with the furniture all strewn about.

It was in one of these rooms that he spotted his things sitting on a table that rested up against a wall. The air in the room was warm and comforting, completely at odds with its appearance. As he picked up his phone, wallet and keys, he spotted something that caused him to lose all color in his face. Taped to a wall were photos of both Sam and Dean Winchester, with the words 'possible leverage' scrawled over them in messy writing. Castiel's palms became sweaty, fear bubbling up inside him as he realised that the brothers were in danger purely out of knowing Castiel. He tore them down and tossed them into the crackling fireplace. They burnt quickly and disappeared, but Castiel knew it would be stupid to think that the Winchesters were safe once again. As he stared into the embers, another thought crossed his mind, but it was incomplete and the finer details left something to be desired.

_Get a move on. _

Suddenly, someone grabbed Castiel from behind, arms squeezing so tight that it made it difficult to breathe.

"You're not going anywhere," the man snarled. He recognised him to be the partner of the man left behind earlier.

Castiel swung his head back as hard as he could, and felt his head make contact with what was probably a nose. Immediately, the grip slackened and Castiel was able to break free. The man was still reeling backward when Castiel picked up his makeshift weapon again. He raised it high over his head, ready to strike downward, but the man charged him instead and rammed him into a wall. Castiel coughed, having had the wind knocked out of him, and shifted to the side just in time to avoid a massive blow to the face.

The man roared in pain as his fist collided with a beam in the wall, causing his knuckles to shatter and blood to gush from the open wound.

It was almost a bit much for Castiel. Thankfully, his self preservation instincts kept the sickness at bay.

_No hesitation, Cas. Who's going to cook me breakfast, huh? _The voice of his conscience was no longer his own, but it sounded warm and inviting just the same. In fact, it gave him the courage to keep on moving unhindered.

He closed his eyes and swung horizontally with vicious speed and intent behind the blow, only vaguely registering that it was Dean giving him the extra strength he needed. A sickening wet crunch let Castiel know that he hit his mark. The man slumped to the ground, and Castiel could not bear to look at him, so he simply stepped over him and left the room.

Blood pumped through his body at high speed, and he was beginning to feel shaky with all the adrenalin. At the end of the hallway was a flight of stairs, a sight that gave Castiel that extra 'lift' he needed to get out of there. The stairs remained silent as he moved down them, and he ran into no other people on his way. He spotted the front door at the far end of the room he was in, and the windows beside them allowed Castiel to see that night was beginning to fall.

The house was very… _unsettling. _It was all dark, from the flooring to the walls and ceiling, and it gave one the feeling of being lost inside a dark forest. Chandeliers hung from the ceiling, the black trappings looking remarkably like tiny spiders dangling from a web of crystal. The walls were decorated with paintings of trees and it gave the illusion that it stretched on for far longer.

Someone was giving a rather moving speech (the speaker's voice was oddly empowering, sounding as though he could rouse almost anyone to action, whether it were good or not), and the fact that there was no one else speaking indicated an enraptured audience.

Castiel panicked, searching for the source of the voice. It took him a few moments, and he realised it belonged to one of the few members of the Leviathan family that he had had the pleasure of actually meeting. In fact, it belonged to the man who was the public face of LeviCorp. It belonged to one Richard 'Dick' Roman, and it was the last thing Castiel needed to hear.

Curiosity won out, and Castiel followed the voice to a set of large wooden doors, and peeking through the crack showed large conference room where Dick was standing at the far end, glaring at the many people that were looking up to him. Castiel knew that there were a lot of children in the family, but there were far too many to have all come from one man. That meant that some of the people were here of their own volition, leaving Castiel to wonder exactly they were promised in return for their loyalty. Probably everything and they'd probably get nothing, or worse – they might even lose their lives. If they were all here, then that meant that this house belonged – or at least used to – to the Leviathans.

"Thanks to that Bradbury girl, we have nothing left. There is but one thing we can do now, and that is to take everything back by force." Dick's voice carried across the room, hitting everyone equally in volume.

A few of the people in the room exchanged hushed words, though Castiel could not make out exactly what they were. He could not be certain, but it felt like dissent.

"We can get it back, by going to the very people who are keeping Ms. Bradbury safe, the same people who shut us out completely when we needed them most. The rest of them cannot be found, but we do have the youngest one tied up upstairs. We will get what we need from him, and if he does not co-operate, there're two men who we can use against him as leverage. Remember: once we have made Ms. Bradbury pay for egregious actions against us, we are to dispose of our cousins and then take everything for our own. Are we clear?"

Again, more voices tuned in, talking amongst themselves, this time the unease perfectly clear to Castiel. Slowly everyone got to their feet and began to make their way to the door. The same door that Castiel was peeking in from. It was definitely time to get out of the house.

Castiel hurried out the front door and sprinted along the overgrown path, wanting nothing more than to get out of the area and back to Dean. He vaguely picked up on his location, having never actually seen or been to the house that he had just escaped from.

His iPhone had only three percent of its battery left, so he had to make up his mind on what he wanted to do with it. Castiel went into the messages app, revealing the many messages that Dean had sent him, each one becoming more hastily written than the other.

[Dean, I am okay now. Not much battery left. I don't know where I am but I will try to find my way back by bus. Keep Sam with you.]

That message would have to do, because now there was only two percent left. Castiel hurried along the unfamiliar streets, using the maps application to find a bus stop. The closest one was at a strip of shops not unlike the one where he worked, but it was ten minutes away and without his phone he would probably get lost. As if reacting to that, his phone turned off.

"Great," Castiel muttered, picking up the pace. They'd have to have to have noticed his absence by now, if they weren't already looking for him.

Every damn house in the area looked the exact same to Castiel, with nothing standing out amongst the modern housing estates. He was about to go up to a house and ask for directions when a young girl came up to him, asking if he was okay.

"You… You've got blood on your shirt," she said. "And on the back, too."

"Yes. I… uhh… I fell."

The girl squinted at Castiel, apparently judging whether or not she trusted him. "I can see that you've not fallen, I'm smarter than that. But you do look like you're lost."

The corner of Castiel's mouth twitched up in a small smile. "That easy to read, am I?"

"Do you really want to know the answer to that? Anyway, where're you going?"

It seemed that the two of them were heading to the bus stop, so she escorted him to their destination. Every few moments, Castiel would look over his shoulder, or cast a wary glance all around to make sure that they were not being followed. He didn't think he'd be able to take it if this girl got hurt simply for helping him to find a bus stop.

There were two other people waiting at the bus stop when they got there. One of them was an old lady who did not even look up as they sat down, and the other was a young guy bobbing his head to beats that only he could hear. He looked up at Castiel, noticed the blood and then simply returned to staring at his phone screen.

The bus arrived five minutes later, and all of them stepped on. Castiel took a seat beside the girl, not wanting to sit alone. She pulled a book out of her bag and began to read. It looked well word, leading Castiel to suspect that it was not the first time, nor would it be the last, that she had read it.

"You like to read?" asked Castiel.

She nodded.

"What's it called?"

Instead of telling him, she simply flipped the cover over so that Castiel could read it for himself. 'Ashes' it read.

The rest of the bus trip passed by quietly, with no one else getting on or off until the girl beside him stood up. "You wanna get off in two stops."

Castiel nodded. "Thanks. I'm Castiel, by the way." He extended a hand out to the girl, which she hesitantly accepted.

"Dieuwertje," she replied.

Castiel didn't think he'd ever be able to repeat that name again, but thankfully he didn't have to. The girl got off the bus without a second look.

At the next stop, the old lady got off, shuffling very slowly along and delicately down the stairs to the sidewalk. There was an old man waiting for her, a huge smile stretched across his face. He bent down to kiss her, and the two of them walked off hand in hand. It was at that point that Castiel truly noticed the depths of his longing for a relationship like that. Nothing – _nothing – _could beat having someone love you forever, and you loving them in return.

At last, he reached his stop.

And there he was.

Dean Winchester was sitting there, waiting for him. And when he noticed that Castiel was on that bus, he smiled.

"Fuck, Cas," he said. "Don't ever do that again." Dean wrapped his arms around Castiel, pulling him into a tight hug that was perhaps a little too long. But Castiel didn't mind.

"I don't plan to," he replied. "Ever."

Dean had parked just around the corner, a welcome sight to Castiel's sore legs. His tiredness had just hit him, and it felt like he had just run into a brick wall. Before long, he had fallen asleep in the car.

He only woke twice, once when they stopped out the front of Dean's house, and once more when he was lowered gently into a bed.

"Thanks, Dean."

He could have imagined it, but he felt a gentle kiss on his forehead. "Any time."

* * *

**A/N: There you have it folks, I hope it was enjoyable to read, because I know I had fun writing it. I just had to give Cas a chance to prove that he is tough too, y'know? A dollar makes me holla honey boo-boo, and so does seeing all of the people who've favorited or followed this fic, so thank you very much for that!**

**DragonAngelRaven: I'll see you online ;)**

**CSI-LoVe-GSR: Thank you so much for your review, and I am glad you're enjoying it. Fear not, my writing is fuelled by lovely reviews and everyone has provided me with plenty to see this through to the end. Thanks again for the smile!  
**

**ironicallyironman: Iloveyousofreakingmuch! I actually get so excited when I see that you've left a review, because it always makes me happy! LeviCorp are a bunch of assholes though, but I hope they make this interesting haha. You're awesome :)  
**

**sonreirbot: Who are you and what have you done with ****************xDoItForTehLulz? I'm kidding. But seriously, if you've done anything to her... Aaaanyway, I hope his chapter lived up to your expectations! Thanks for taking the time to review :)**  


******************DestielSoups: First off, I'd like to say that Destiel Soups are the best kind of soups. Secondly, thank youuuuu so much! It is a privilege to be held in such high esteem, and I just asfhlskhgkbhk'd when I got your review! Cheers :)**

******************Thanks again, and I'll try to get chapters up more frequently, but Guild Wars 2 is actually amazing! Though, since you guys have been so good, I might just have to work a little bit harder, huh? **


	8. Dean – Day Four

**A/N: Little warning, Dean has some play time alone in the middle-ish of this chapter!**_  
_

* * *

_Dean – Day Four, in which he realises a little more._

Dean Winchester awoke to the warmth of sunlight landing softly on his skin. He slowly opened his eyes, panicking momentarily when he sensed something was amiss. Without realising it, he lamented the presence of Castiel beside him, reaching out to feel the empty space. Dean sighed as he swung his legs out of the side of the bed, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes and letting them readjust to the change of light. He stood up to stretch, reaching high up and practically groaning with pleasure as the last traces of the night were purged from his body. With his hands on his hips he stood there, simply enjoying the sun on his rather perfect (if he did say so himself) behind.

Grinning, he thought of the fact that he was completely naked in the bed with Castiel. He peered down at his growing erection, feeling sorry for himself due to the lack of time. "Maybe soon buddy," he crooned.

After a few moments, Dean decided it was time to get dressed and head downstairs. He slowly slipped into a pair of briefs, then slid some track pants and a loose t-shirt on over the top. Reluctantly, he made his way down the stairs and into the kitchen, where his brother and friend were talking about… something.

Castiel was stuttering, obviously flustered by something Sam had said. As soon as Dean entered the room, a red faced Castiel turned to him for help.

"Sam, stop tormenting our guest," Dean said with mock seriousness. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Castiel's look of admiration.

His younger brother gave his usual bitch-face before resuming the cleanup of the juice he had spilt. Dean went around getting Sam's things together for him while he ate the rest of his breakfast, apologising continuously when he realised he had neither food nor money to give Sam for lunch.

"Dean, it's okay. Ruby'll lend me money if I really need it." Sam spoke around a mouthful cereal, before scooping the rest of it in.

"Here, Sam. Take this," said Castiel, handing him a twenty dollar bill. "It is no trouble."

Dean reluctantly allowed Sam to take the money after a few back and forth moments, finally acquiescing when Castiel gave him a commanding stare. To be honest, it kinda freaked Dean out. And turned him on.

Whilst Sam was in his room getting ready, Dean resigned himself to the couch in the hopes that he'd be able to catch a few minutes of morning television. "I don't normally watch these cartoons," he said over his shoulder.

"Yes, of course." Dean didn't notice Castiel turning away to hide his look of disbelief.

Sam re-entered the room carrying his bag over his shoulder, ready to go at last. He whistled for Dean, who immediately stood up and headed for the door.

"Good boy!" Sam said, a cheeky grin stretched across his face. "Sit! Stay! Play dead!"

"You can walk to school if you want," replied Dean, turning back toward the couch. Sam half-heartedly apologised, and as Dean went back to the front door he gave his younger brother a gentle shove. "Let's get moving." He almost forgot to say goodbye to his houseguest, who had thus far remained a silent observer. "I'll be ten minutes Cas, and I'll pick up some breakfast on the way back okay?"

"Take your time," replied Castiel. He smiled warmly at Dean, a look that caused the other man to stumble on his way out.

Once they had gotten into the car, Sam turned to face his brother. "You really like him, don't you Dean?" he asked. There was none of his usual attitude behind the question; instead his words were laced with brotherly affection.

It was a few moments before Dean answered, the response not coming as quickly to him as he would have liked. Either he was completely head-over-heels, romantic-comedy in love with the man and not as subtle as he thought, or Sam was a very keen observer, simply picking up on Dean's feelings. "Yeah. I do."

Sam was smiling now, silently thanking Castiel for bringing happiness to his brother. After travelling in pleasant silence, they pulled up out the front of their destination. Sam exited the car, hovering just inside the door. "Have fun today big guy," he said, laughing maniacally as he sped off into the school.

They were a few minutes late and most of the students had already entered the school. Dean watched Sam as he made his way across the yard, where he met Ruby, They exchanged a very polite 'hello,' but whether or not that was because Dean was watching remained to be seen. Satisfied that his brother was all good, Dean turned his car around and drove over to the shopping strip.

Unfortunately there was not a single parking space available that was close to the supermarket, so Dean had to park a short distance up the road. He stepped out of the car and almost bowled Bela over. She hadn't seen him getting out of the car, and was carrying a duffel bag under her arm.

"Dean? Oh, excuse me," she said. Her accent was really showing up strong, Dean noticed.

Dean noticed that she seemed to be in a hurry, looking like there was nothing more that she'd rather do than get out of the area. "Do you need a hand?" he asked.

Bela contemplated Dean's offer for a moment, before a beautiful smile formed on her lips. "That'd be lovely," she replied. "Take me home? My _friend _was supposed to be picking me up, but she's not shown up."

"Sure. I've just gotta head into the supermarket to get a few things, okay?"

It was a blink and you'll miss it moment, but Dean could have sworn that displeasure flickered through her eyes, but it was immediately replaced with her usual calm expression. "I'll wait in the car."

He wasn't entirely comfortable with the idea of leaving a stranger alone in his car, but there was no time to talk about it – Cas was waiting for him at home. Besides, it's not like anyone would try to steal that piece of crap.

The supermarket was a quick, two-minute affair, with Dean's hunger acting as a guide of sorts to his desired food. Once he'd put everything into a basket, he approached the checkout just as the person in front of him was leaving. He payed, thanking the cashier for their help, then walked back to his car.

Bela was lying down in the back seat with her head resting on the duffel bag she had with her. It looked as though she were taking a quick nap, so Dean cleared his throat gently as he sat down in the driver's seat. "Where to?" he asked, indicating for her to take the front seat.

"Not far. I'll point the way," she replied, climbing over to the seat beside Dean.

Unlike the pleasant silence Dean had shared with his brother earlier that morning, this one felt more awkward, and any attempt at conversation seemed rather forced.

"This is a… lovely car you've got," Bela said.

Dean's eyes widened in shock. "Yeah right, this piece of crap? I wish I could afford something better," he replied. Evidently, Bela's sarcasm did not register for him.

"I see. Do you have a dream car then?"

Dean's reply was instant. No-one had ever asked him that question before, which was a shame because the answer came so readily to him. "A 1967 Chevrolet Impala. I think if I got a baby like that, I'd die."

Bela chuckled, almost missing the final turn. "Left! Left!" she shouted, pointing vehemently in the same direction.

Finally, Dean came to a stop outside a small house. Bela exited the car, and waited outside the front gate. She waved goodbye, but did not turn to enter the house. Dean drove away slowly, and he noticed that the windows were boarded up, giving the house a decidedly un-owned look. Shrugging, he drove away, his thoughts on Bela's strangeness quickly giving way to his thoughts about Castiel.

_Castiel. _

The drive home was perhaps a little faster than necessary, but Dean found himself incredibly eager to return to his home where Castiel was waiting. He went around to the back of the car and picked up the shopping, clutching it close to his chest, and then slammed the door shut with his bottom.

"Cas!" Dean called from the front door. "Open the door! My hands are full!" He stood there waiting for a short while, wondering what Castiel was doing. There was movement on the other side of the door, so he just assumed that Castiel could not work out how to get it open. "You do know how to open a door, don't you?" Smirking, Dean stepped inside, just brushing Castiel's side as he did so.

_Oh no. It was going to be one of those days… _Dean sighed internally; really wishing right now that he wasn't so horny all the time. They barely even touched – just a light brush of the skin – but already he was getting 'excited.'

_Think unsexy thoughts. Think unsexy thoughts. _"Do you know anything about that Bela girl, who works at the supermarket?" Before he had met Cas, Bela was _exactly _the kind of girl that Dean would have gone for. He didn't know it, but Castiel had already changed him in more ways than one.

"No," Castiel replied.

The curtness of his response caused Dean to look up at Castiel. Bright blue eyes were staring at him, but they did not show their usual sparkle of happiness. Something was up. "What's on your mind?" Dean asked, resting a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder.

Castiel summed up his worries, and they were… _alarming_, to say the least. Dean pictured himself and Sam in the same situation, and it was a wonder how Castiel was not in full-on panic mode right about now.

"Cas?" Dean said gently. _Please, please don't cry._

"Yes, Dean?" His voice hitched, and Dean could tell how hard he was fighting to stay calm.

"Don't worry. I'll look out for you. C'mon, let's eat, and then we'll think about what to do okay? Relax with me," Dean replied. He smiled, giving him a look that he only ever used to comfort his brother.

Dean lowered a couple of rashers of bacon into the pan, as well as two eggs. _Don't fuck this up Dean! _He didn't want to seem incapable in front of Cas. There was something about him that made Dean want to be the best that he could, to do everything perfectly so that Castiel would not have to worry about it himself.

Unfortunately, shortly after that, smoke filled the room, and Dean could see Castiel's mild concern out of the corner of his eye. _I can take out dudes twice my size empty-handed, but I can't even cook a simple meal… Son of a bitch._

"Here, Dean, let me." Castiel shifted his weight into Dean's side, pushing him out of the way, perhaps a little too forcefully.

_Damnit Cas. _Dean was fighting incredibly hard not to jump Castiel right now, and if he wasn't so hungry he didn't think he'd have succeeded. Everything that was happening right now was just a little too much, for him to handle.

The way he spoke, coupled with pushing him aside using his hips sent an electric pulse through Dean's body every time he thought about it. The way Castiel just took charge of what was happening, or the way he gripped everything so tightly and expertly as he cooked, and the commanding tone with which he spoke – all these things were adding up into one incredibly frustrated Dean Winchester. "How do you like your bacon?" Castiel asked. It was most likely Dean's imagination running rampant, but every word that just came out of Castiel's mouth practically dripped with sexual desire.

"Extra crispy," Dean replied. He felt his pants tightening, so he shifted into an even more uncomfortable position in an effort to hide the presence of a gigantic boner.

"Go clean yourself up. I'll have this ready soon." There it was. Another command.

"Uhh, yeah," Dean stuttered. He got to his feet awkwardly, doing his best to conceal his lower region from Castiel's eyes. A small smirk on Castiel's face was all Dean needed to push him over the edge, and he was most definitely not going up to have a shower. He traipsed over to the stairs, sparing a cautionary glance over his shoulder at Castiel, who was facing away from him. His butt looked absolutely perfect in those pants – a perfect fit.

Dean locked the bathroom door behind himself, wasting no time in stripping down his clothing. He jumped in the shower and turned on the hot water, relishing the stream as it ran down his skin. Looking down, he grabbed his cock and closed his eyes. Something about Cas was a little _too _much for Dean to handle. He thought of how good Cas looked in his jeans, and he began imagining how he would look without them. His supple skin stretched over his bony hips, the fine line of hair trailing down from his stomach and leading to his cock. Dean wanted nothing more than to have Cas writhing in pleasure beneath him, as he trailed light kisses and-

Footsteps could be heard coming to a halt outside the bathroom door. "Dean?" Castiel asked.

_Damnit Cas, now's really not a good time! _"Cas, I'll be down in a minute!"

Castiel asked him something again, but Dean could not hear or understand him, so intense was his focus on the task at hand. "F-fine, just – I'll be down soon, okay?" he grunted, wanting nothing more than Castiel to leave him alone – or come in here to finish him off, but how likely was that to happen?

His rhythm began to pick up speed. He grunted, biting his lip so that he would not make too much noise. The pressure was building up, and he knew that it would soon be time for release. He staggered, grinding his hips up into his hand, and drops of pre-cum came rolling down. Dean's knees started to go weak, forcing him to lean against the shower wall for support. With a few more jerks he sent himself over the edge, shooting several volleys into the air and against the glass.

There was not much of a mess to clean up; Dean had always been pretty good with his aim, so it wasn't long before he was ready to head back down to Cas who was waiting for him.

Judging by the not—burning smell in the air, he was much more successful in preparing breakfast than Dean was.

It was oddly quiet, the silence hanging thick in the air like a noxious gas. "Cas?" called Dean, stepping around the corner hesitantly. The lounge and kitchen area came into view, and sitting on the bench was Dean's beautiful and perfect breakfast, the steam slowly rising and fading. He called out again, but there was still no response. Where in the world had he- the front door was wide open, and the table beside the door had been knocked down.

Immediately, Dean reached into his pocket and smashed his fingers into his phone, dialling Castiel's number. It rang out, and there was no option to leave a message. He tried calling again, but still he was not successful.

He called Sam next; he'd know what to do. He was always the smart one.

"Dean? I'm in class, what do you-" Sam whispered.

"It's Cas, I think he's been taken and I dunno where or why but I think I know who and-"

Sam spoke to someone nearby him, and a few seconds later the background chatter had disappeared. "Dude, shut up. Quit freaking out, and say that all again but this time at an audible speed."

"I am totally not freaking out! I'm picking you up from school, I need you here!" Dean snapped, hanging up so that Sam would have no other choice but to comply.

Tires screeched as Dean sped toward the school, and it was a wonder there were no police around to stop him. Right now the only thing on his mind was getting his brother to help Castiel, so being slowed down was not an option. After parking illegally, Dean sprinted into the school grounds and up to the main office, where a kindly looking old woman was sitting behind a counter.

"Yes?" she wheezed, and then coughed slightly, sending her red-rimmed glasses sliding down to the tip of her nose.

"Sam Winchester. Where is he?" Suddenly and surprisingly, his Uncle Bobby popped up in his mind, reminding him to show respect to his elders ("watch yourself boy"). "Please."

"One moment," she said, smiling widely as she slid over to the computer screen.

_Perfect. _She was one of those 'single-finger' people, who typed so slowly that it made Dean want to come behind there and do it himself.

She stopped typing, looking at the screen expectantly. Seconds later, there was a quiet chime that came along with the search results. "He's in room B13. Anything else?"

Dean was out the door faster than the old lady could see, dropping a hasty 'thanks' as he slipped out of the door. He sent Sam a text telling him to meet outside the classroom with his things so that they could leave without delay.

B6 flew by, then B7, eight and nine, and soon enough a sign pointed Dean around the corner to where Sam was waiting. Of course, he wasn't alone.

"C'mon Sammy, let's go." Dean didn't even spare a glance at Ruby, simply expecting his brother to come along.

"Sam. You don't have to go with him, it's your choice," said Ruby, stepping out between the two brothers. "He doesn't own you."

Ruby's words felt like a punch to the gut for Dean, but now _really _wasn't a good time to argue. "Sam, please. We can't waste time."

Sam must have seen the pleading look in Dean's eyes, because he immediately walked to his brother's side. "See you Ruby."

The girl snickered, a look so unbecoming on her that it made her seem somewhat demonic. "Whatever."

There was an awkward silence as the brothers stared at each other, neither one of them knowing if they should talk about what happened or what was going on that was so urgent. Dean was practically running to the car, almost losing Sam on two occasions.

Once they were seated, Sam spoke. "So what's up, Dean? Where's Castiel?"

"I don't know, Sam. I think he's been taken by his whacked out extended family, and I have absolutely no damn idea where he could be." Dean was just driving absentmindedly now, with no real destination in his sights.

Sam thought long and hard, trying to come up with something reasonable that they could do. They (well, Sam did, Dean simply paced back and forth) spent several hours trying to think of something that they could do. There was something they could do, Sam just knew it.

Calling Sam Winchester smart was an understatement, and his older brother new that well. Everything that he did was well thought out, and behind every move he made was some pre-ordained plan designed to get him what he wanted as soon as possible. The formulation of one of his plans went through several different processes, starting with what he knew about what it was that he needed. In this case, it was Castiel.

"Does he have anything traceable on him? Something with a GPS, like-"

"His iPhone?" Dean suggested.

"That could actually work. I think there's some kind of locator built into them, so that you can find your iPhone from your computer when you've lost it. But…"

"But what?" Dean snapped.

Sam hesitated. "But we need access to Castiel's computer, and that could be problematic, especially if its password protected. We can still try though."

Moments later they had arrived at Castiel's home. Dean hurried to the front door, dragging Sam along with him. He made one attempt at twisting the handle, praying that it would work but knowing it wouldn't.

It was a kind of sad thing to admit, but the Winchester brothers were adept at breaking and entering, especially into the homes of rich folk like Castiel's family. In fact, they had even broken into and _stolen _from homes while the owners were still there – one family, the Wrights if Dean remembered correctly, were so oblivious to what was going on that he almost felt sorry for them. Sam distracted them long enough for Dean to sneak in through the back, loot the place, and leave. They only did that when things got particularly tough, which, unfortunately, used to happen quite a lot.

"Dean, upstairs window looks open-ish. I might be able to get in, gimme a boost?" Sam said, leading the way to where he could get up.

Dean nodded. "On the count of three. You ready?" He positioned himself in a way that acted as a step ladder of sorts, and when Sam was in position he'd be able to throw him up to the ledge. "One, two…"

Sam stepped up. "Three!" He vaulted himself up, and with the added height from Dean, he was able to clear the jump quite easily. Sam pulled out his pocket knife and fidgeted with the window a bit, unstacking the lock so that he could pull it open. "I'll meet you at the front door." He disappeared inside.

Oh, how Dean hated waiting, especially in times as intense as these. Everything seemed to drag out far longer than it actually was, which is why it felt like ten minutes had passed until Sam opened the door. "Finally," he said, pushing past him. "Let's split up and look for the computer."

"No need," Sam replied. "I found it on my way down. Follow me."

The office was up a flight of stairs and down a hall, at the end of which Dean spotted the window that had been opened by Sam. In the office, sitting on an impeccably kept desk, was a massive screen, the likes of which Dean had never seen before. Attached to it was a single, slim silver keyboard and an odd white –thing- that Dean assumed had to be the mouse.

He'd never been able to understand it before, the way some people found computers and technology exciting or fun to look at. Sam had tried putting it into terms he was familiar with ("It's like cars, dude, they're just machines but people get really attached") but up until now, he had never felt what Sam was trying to describe.

"Yuck, Macs." Sam snickered. He pulled the high-backed chair over and sat down, reclining briefly and enjoying the scant amount of time he'd have in something this comfortable.

"Yuck?" drawled Dean, still stuck admiring the sleek design. "It's so… _pretty._"

"That's exactly what it is. _Pretty. _Now if I can just…" Sam tapped the keyboard, and the screen flickered to life. "Well Dean, this'll be far easier than I thought. It's already logged in."

Sam's fingers danced along the keypad as he found what he needed to locate Castiel, and it took him barely half a minute to bring him up on the map. Only, they couldn't see Castiel at all. An error message showed up onscreen, simply saying 'Unable to locate device.'

"Try again," said Dean, leaning into the screen. "Maybe it stuffed up."

A few seconds passed as the software tried to locate the phone once more, but still there was nothing. Dean urged Sam to try again, slamming his fist down onto the tabletop when that proved unsuccessful too.

"Move. Lemme give it a shot," he snapped, shoving Sam aside. He re-loaded the map, and waited. He could feel his pulse quickening, and when it was unable to locate Castiel again, he started to freak out.

"Dean! Calm down!" Sam shouted, trying to be heard over his brother.

In his panicked state, Dean failed to notice that a location had appeared on the map. Sam had to grab his brother by the hands, and _force _him to turn around and face the screen. An address popped up too and it was roughly two hours away from where they were.

"Cas!" Dean shouted, grabbing the monitor in his hands. "Let's go Sammy, we've gotta find him!" His phone alerted him to a text, and when he saw who it was from, Dean nearly broke his phone in his attempt to open the message.

[Dean, I am okay now. Not much battery left. I don't know where I am but I will try to find my way back by bus. Keep Sam with you.]

"He's okay," Dean breathed. "He's okay."

"What's he doing?" Sam asked, still a little unsure if it was safe to approach Dean.

Dean just extended the phone in Sam's general direction so that he could read it himself. "I'll take you home now Sammy, okay?"

"Sure," Sam replied, ignoring the waver in Dean's voice. "You… good?"

He was given no answer; instead Dean just turned and walked out the door. There was no way to explain how relieved Dean had felt at that very moment. It was as if he had saved up every single sigh he had ever experienced in his life, and then released them all at once – he felt sick, yet filled with energy. Nothing had ever given Dean cause to become so worked up, and it was becoming more and more clear to him just how deep his affection for the other man went.

Dean became oddly detached from everything thereafter; feeling as though he were an onlooker into someone else's life. He was both present and yet very far from what he was doing, and everything he did was on a sort of auto-pilot. By the time he realised that Sam was no longer in the car, he was already at the local bus stop where Castiel was due to arrive. It was the only bus stop in this town, and even though Cas would not arrive for at least two hours, Dean wanted to wait.

It made it all the more sweeter when Castiel arrived. Dean was practically dozing off, his arms wrapped around him in a makeshift blanket. He looked up, and there he was looking relatively unharmed – once you looked past the bloodstains of course. Before he knew it, a wide smile was gracing his lips as he stood up to greet his friend.

"Fuck, Cas," he said. "Don't ever do that again." Dean wrapped his arms around Castiel, pulling him into a tight hug that seemed like not nearly long enough.

"I don't plan to," Castiel replied. "Ever."

The two of them walked back to Dean's car together, with Castiel requiring support despite his insistence that he was okay. Dean knew how to spot things like that, having been in the same deal on many occasions himself, so he simply ignored Castiel and slipped his arm around his back.

A few seconds on the road and Castiel had fallen asleep, earning a sort of 'awww' from Dean, who took a few moments to take it all in. Castiel did look remarkable in his sleep. Not wanting to wake him from that, Dean carried him inside. He wished his younger brother a good night before walking up the stairs and into the bedroom.

Slowly and methodically, Dean stripped Castiel of his filthy clothing and lowered him into the bed with as much grace as he could muster.

"Thanks, Dean." Castiel spoke faintly, sounding as though he had expended almost all of his energy.

Dean smiled, moving around to his side of the bed, placing a light kiss on Castiel's forehead, chuckling lightly when Cas' brow furrowed at his touch. "Any time."

Sleep came easily, and once more they were nestled up against each other. Dean's last thoughts as he drifted off were along the lines of _'I'll make sure no-one touches you again.'_

* * *

Dean awoke to the smell of bacon and eggs, a hearty reminder that he had not eaten at all the day before. He slipped on his most comfortable clothing and ran down to the kitchen, where Castiel and Sam were sitting at the bench, talking away about some kind of computer thing.

"Where's mine?" Dean asked, feeling jealousy rise as he realised they had eaten without him.

"Sorry we didn't wait for you," Sam apologised, indicating the plate sitting by the stove, "but it's practically midday and I was hungry."

Dean eyed his brother with mock suspicion, before sitting down with his plate. He raised the fork to his mouth, his mouth salivating in anticipation, and the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it," he grumbled, dropping his fork.

He made his way to the door, peeking out through the hole. The man on the other side didn't look threatening, so he opened up.

"Is Cas here?" asked the man.

Dean looked behind himself at Cas. "Who are you?"

"It's me, Gabriel. I have an invitation."

* * *

**A/N: Woop, there it is. The eighth Chapter, and it was kind of a long one. I enjoyed writing it a lot! Thank you to everyone who reviewed, favorited or followed this story or myself, it's truly a good feeling to know that you're enjoying this! SPECIAL THANK YOU ALERT! To DragonAngelRaven, for unrivalled assistance during the production of this chapter, with a certain steamy scene in particular!**

******sonreirbot: Mayhap you did and mayhap you didn't... but I do happen to love PewDiePie! **

******evilbunnies101: Thank you so much! I've seen that sort of Cas a lot in fics, and I've tried my best to avoid it. Also, re: the smexy timez, you'll just have to wait and see. All I'll say is 'soon'  
**

******ironicallyironman: aufhauerfwfi I actually love your reviews! Plus your attempt at humour wasn't too... bad. And is if I could _not _include Charlie! I frakking love her so much!  
**

******DragonAngelRaven: Hey, no problem dude. I am pretty fantastic. I kid. I love working with you too :D**

******OneTooManyHeadAches: SEUFWEFLIWNFEUIWBL! THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT I WAS THINKING! I hope that your keyboard mash was one of love haha! Thank you :)  
**

******Thanks again! In honour of Halloween which as you know is coming up soon, I'm going to write a Halloween Special for this fic, in which we'll see some scary scenarios and lots of fun! It's going to be quite a bit longer than a usual chapter, so it might take a little while longer to finish it but it will definitely be up by the 31st... Be prepared, coz this is going to be 2SPOOKY!**

******ILOVEYOUALL**


	9. Halloween Special Part One – The Party

_**A/N: This grew to be far larger than originally expected, so I've decided to upload the first half a little earlier - the rest will still be up on Halloween! Hope you enjoy this irregular chapter of Wings! P.S. there's a smidgeon of sexy time toward the end of the chapter!**_

* * *

_**HALLOWEEN SPECIAL, PART ONE.**_

-Twenty-fifth of October, 11:26am- Day Five

"Gabriel? What… I thought you wouldn't be back until next month?" Castiel asked, jumping up off the couch and coming to the front door. "What are you doing here?"

"Like I said. I have an invitation for you."

Castiel stepped in front of Dean, effectively blocking him from the conversation (without meaning to, of course). "Well, yes, but how did you know I was here?"

"Easy," replied Gabriel, a winning grin sneaking onto his face. "I was alerted to a break in at our home," he motioned toward Sam and Dean, "so I came back to see what was going on. These two were leaving, so I followed them and eventually it led me to you."

"It never occurred to you to call me, did it?" Castiel quickly grew frustrated with his older brother, the chief reason being that Gabriel seemed so nonchalant regarding the whole 'LeviCorp' situation that was just as much his problem. "Or, you know, perhaps see how Anna was doing?"

"Hush, little brother." Gabriel's smirk still had not left his face, and Dean had to wonder whether or not it was a permanent feature. "Anna is well, you can count on that. Wherever Dad is, I'm sure he's got his eye on her. Besides, don't you think you could use a little fun, especially considering what's been going on lately?"

Dean appeared by Castiel, who had thus far not yet replied. "Cas, maybe you _should _go, it would be good to get out."

"You're more than welcome to come too, Mr. Winchester. Of course, someone would have to take care of your brother… This is strictly for adults." Gabriel handed Dean an invitation, a sparkling blue and black thing adorned with several jack-o-lanterns and a ghostface mask.

No sooner had the invitation left Gabriel's hand; his phone rang, calling him away to some other 'urgent' business, earning a sigh of contempt from Castiel. "I'll see you two there?" he asked, phone still pressed to his ear. Dean nodded, bidding him farewell before closing the door.

He turned back inside, delighted with the thought of attending a real party, only to have his parade rained upon by a scornful looking Castiel.

"Dean, why did you agree to that?"

"I dunno Cas, maybe you look like you could loosen up a little? Getting out of town for a while could be good, and Anna is safe, so what is there to lose? Besides, staying as far away as possible from your _other _family seems like a good idea."

There were a million reasons why Castiel did not want to go, the best of them being that he hated parties, and Gabriel's were known to get pretty wild. However, looking at Dean's pleading expression softened him up, and he had no other choice but to give in. "Fine. What are we going to dress up as, then?"

* * *

_Day Seven, in which they still haven't found a costume._

-Twenty-seventh of October, 2:36pm-

"Dean, the party is two days away and we still have not elected a costume, and you still have no idea where Sam is going to go," Castiel snapped. He was beginning to regret agreeing to this.

"Cas, two things – one, I've already told you I'm going as a Roman soldier, it's you who can't decide, and two, Sam's coming with us, he can just stay behind when we go to the party."

Sam's head popped up over the couch, a sour expression on his face. "Dude, no way. I'm staying at Ruby's."

"The hell you are! That girl's got some serious issues, and I don't want them rubbing off on you," Dean replied.

"You don't like her because she doesn't like you. If you're going to this party, then I'm going to Ruby's place. I'm old enough to take care of myself, and Cas? You should go as Iron Man."

"No, that would be much too difficult."

"What about an angel?" Dean suggested, glaring at Sam and signalling that 'this isn't over.'

Castiel looked at his feet, thinking to himself. "No, I do not think I could pull it off. Perhaps I will go as a bumblebee or something. It has to be simple, or something that I do not have to make… I am not particularly creative."

Dean sighed. "Screw it. Cas, get in the car. We're going shopping." He gave Castiel a pleading look, knowing that he would not be able to deny Dean what he wanted after his signature puppy dog eyes.

"Fine." Castiel could not bring himself to look up at Dean, whose green eyes were shining like pretty gemstones. "But I don't want to stay for long. And nothing skimpy."

Dean chuckled, leading the way out the door after saying goodbye to Sam. It took almost half an hour for them to arrive at the nearest shopping mall, as no shop in the immediate area carried the sorts of things they were after.

"Dean, is this really necessary? Why don't I just throw an old sheet over my head?"

The two of them stopped walking just short of the entrance, earning an irritated snicker from the woman behind them. Dean ignored her, instead placing his hands upon Castiel's shoulders and looking him dead in the eyes.

"Cas, this'll be fun. I promise. But if you really, _really, _don't want to go, I won't force you. It's up to you. But! I'll buy you lunch though if you say yes! There's a burger lounge nearby that I wanna try out."

"I know, but my brother's parties… they have tendency to get out of control and really weird very quickly."

"Okay, then." Dean did his best to hide the disappointment in his voice, but the pathetic attempt ended up working to his advantage.

"I do enjoy a good burger, though," Castiel replied. As much as he didn't want to go, it was just another party and in a few hours it would be over. "Let's go find me a costume."

The mall was packed with people, each going about their business. Mothers were fretting over their children, young men and women were eagerly discussing the latest videogame releases, while everyone else seemed in such a rush to get things done. Up until that point, it had never dawned on Castiel that there were over seven billion people in the world, each with their own stories, plans and future, everyone immensely different and yet so similar to each other. He looked around at all the people, thinking about how _physically _close everyone was, yet many of them still didn't know nor care about anyone else.

"There it is," Dean said into his ear. "The costume shop is just ahead."

It was a shock to hear someone speaking to him so closely and with what felt like a certain sense of intimacy, Dean's breath hot on his ears. _Dean Winchester. _Whatever it was that had brought them together, whether it be fate, chance or an awful customer, Castiel was incredibly happy that it happened. If there was anyone – anyone at all – that Castiel wanted to get to know completely, it was him.

"Shall we?" he asked, holding the door open.

"Thank you, Dean." Castiel stepped inside, enjoying the silence that the door provided when it was closed. The general 'hubbub' of a shopping mall was one of the many reasons Castiel avoided places like that, because the more he tried to ignore the sounds, the louder they seemed to get.

"Welcome to Drake's Deception, purveyor of fine disguises and costumes, all for a fraction of the price you'd expect!" An electronic greeting system sounded off as they stepped inside, the tinny voice coming from what looked to be a wall-mounted fish of some sort. "Staff on duty today: -Amelia- and –Dale-" the shift between the pre-recorded greeting and the staff members saying their names was a little jarring, "so if you need anything, give them a shout. Have fun!"

"Dale! I'm turning that fucking thing off! It's driving me insane! It keeps going off even though there's nobody coming in!" A woman, whom Castiel assumed was Amelia, came dashing down a set of stairs. Immediately, he was taken by the striking color of her hair - a rich, red velvet that was held up in a messy bun. Her clothing appeared to be made up of an assortment of costume parts, looking like some sort of steam punk Queen of Hearts. "Oh my god, I am so sorry! I didn't see you there, and it's been a _long _day. Dale! Customers!"

A man in a similar outfit emerged from the upper level, carrying a large cardboard box in his arms. Castiel would have found him quite attractive, were it not for the whole hipster _vibe _that was radiating off of him. He put the box down and extended a hand to both Dean and Castiel, his touch lingering on the former for much too long (according to Castiel, at least. Dean didn't seem to notice).

"Hi there. As that machine has already told you, I'm Dale and this is Amelia. What can we do for you?"

"Need a costume for my buddy Cas here. Any suggestions?"

"Well," Dale began, turning to the shelving, "you've come to the right place. Amelia, would you run them through what we've got?"

"Sure. Follow me boys," she replied. Dale picked up the box again, carrying it away and out of sight. "Bottom floor is the more traditional stuff, like ancient Gods, your Roman soldiers, cowboys, ninjas, insects, animals and that sort of thing. Upstairs is all of the licensed stuff. So, there are costumes from videogames, television shows, movies – if it's popular, we'll have it. Do you want a hand, or do you just wanna look around yourselves for a bit?"

"We're good for now," replied Dean. "Thanks."

They wandered up and down the bottom floor aisles for several minutes, with nary a thing catching Castiel's eye, though Dean was particularly fond of an Ironman suit that he found. Nothing else was very interesting, so the two of them made their way up the stairs.

Each aisle was clearly labelled, the bulk of them being dedicated to different films throughout the years. There were classics from films like Nosferatu and King Kong, to the iconic white dress that Marilyn Monroe wore in the _Seven Year Itch. _Dean chuckled to himself as he pictured Castiel standing over the air vent trying to keep the dress from flying up and revealing everything.

"Whatever you're laughing at, I am not wearing it." Castiel poked his head through one of the shelves, startling Dean. "Have you found anything good?"

"Well, at the back there're some Link and Zelda costumes… I'll go as Link and you can be Zelda?"

Castiel shot Dean a foul glare, and even though Dean could not see his whole face, he immediately quit laughing and walked away. Nintendo characters, however, were a bit of a soft spot for Castiel, as they were one of the few things he greatly enjoyed as he grew up. As simple as the stories were, there was just something _endearing _about how valiantly Link fought to save the princess, and by extension, the land of Hyrule itself. The fact that Link was technically Castiel's first crush set of a rush of nostalgia, so he wandered over to the section marked videogame characters.

One of the more impressive costumes was incredibly detailed, and there was no mistaking the S.T.A.R.S. logo emblazoned on the uniform. Castiel looked at his own arms, sighing as he wished for the beefiness to pull off the outfit – but then he thought about the effort it would take to maintain a body like that, and the appeal dropped dramatically.

"Hey Cas! There's a decent Legolas costume over here!"

Being in this shop for too long was beginning to take its toll on Castiel, as they had been in there for over half an hour and still found nothing suitable. He was on his way over to Dean, ready to accept the Legolas costume so they could leave, when a sparkling yellow and brown pile caught his gaze. "Dean, I think I've found something better," Castiel called.

"What is it?" asked Dean, appearing at his friend's side.

Castiel picked up the cloth in front of him and stretched it out. "It's my costume," he replied.

Amelia emerged out of nowhere, holding a needle and some thread in her hand. "Good choice," she said, eyeing up Castiel. "We might have to get you fitted, though. Follow me." She yanked Castiel by the arm down to the fitting rooms, stepping inside after he did. When Castiel seemed hesitant to be in there, she smiled. "Did you… Did you want your boyfriend to come in too?"

"My boyf… He's not – he isn't – _that._"

"I'm so sorry!" replied Amelia. "I just assumed that… well, you guys are so cute together!" Her face flushed red with embarrassment, leaving the two of them with an ever increasing desire to _get the hell out of there. _

Meanwhile, Dean was dealing with his own brand of discomfort, not really knowing how to handle the heated advances of Dale. The man found every excuse to touch Dean, running his hands up and down his legs to make sure that there was the 'perfect fit.'

"Nice," Dale sighed lasciviously, winking at Dean. "You and I should hang out sometime."

"Uhh… No thanks," Dean replied. "I've already got someone for that. Caaas? You almost done?"

Muffled voices came from the fitting rooms, sounds that Dean interpreted to mean 'almost,' so he held out the toga to Dale and smiled. "I'll take it."

The two of them walked to the counter at the front, where they waited a few moments for Cas and Amelia to return. Dean's patience for the creep standing next to him was wearing thin, and when Dale tried to touch Dean again, he was barely able to control himself. His hand snapped up, drawing back into a fist so tight that his knuckles turned white. "Touch me again. I _dare _you," Dean snarled.

Right after that little altercation, Cas made his way down the stairs. "Got your costume Dean?" he asked.

He nodded.

"We're going to have to call up the other store," muttered Amelia. "Cas here is just a little bit too big for the pants, even after adjustments." She stepped around the counter and picked up the phone from its cradle. The numbers were dialled incredibly fast, and in a few moments, a metallic voice buzzed out of the ear piece. "Shea? How're you?" Something this 'Shea' person had said must have been incredibly funny, because Amelia erupted with laughter, needing a few moments to collect herself. "Listen, I can't talk right now. We've got customers. Crazy, I know. What size bumblebee pants do you have?"

While Castiel was waiting for the response, Dale slid a hastily scribbled note over the glass countertop. "Call me if you need _anything_."

"I'm good," Dean replied.

"Great!" shouted Amelia. "Hold that one, would ya? Two guys are coming by tomorrow to pick it up. Maybe I'll see you soon, okay?"

Had Dean looked at the price tag earlier (perhaps he would have, were it not for Dale's pestering), he'd have noticed that it was well out of his price range. He was about to put it back, and just wear a white sheet from home, when Castiel held out his own wallet. It was bagged and paid for before Dean could speak against it.

"Thanks for your help," Castiel said, smiling.

The two of them turned to exit, and just as they were at the door, Dean noticed Dale was approaching _yet again _clutching the note with his number on it. He opened his mouth to say 'you forgot this,' but before anything could come out, Dean pulled Castiel into a firm kiss, one that he was so sure would silence Dale for good.

It worked.

Castiel, however, was not ready for it at all, causing him to drop the bag and walk right into the security screens. Dean helped him up, wrapping an arm around his side, giving a cautionary glance behind himself as he did so.

"Dean, what-"

"Shut up, don't ruin the moment," he replied, cutting him off.

The two of them made their way to the burger lounge, Castiel walking in a stunned silence, only snapping out of it when he was asked to place his order. He took a momentary glance at the menu, even though he had already picked out what he wanted. In fact, every time he went out, he'd look at the menu and deliberate over what to purchase, but it was always the same thing.

Once the food was paid for, they waited by the counter while it was cooked.

"Are you going to fill me in on what you did before?" asked Castiel, finally regaining his composure.

"Sorry about that, Cas, it was just that creep, Dale – he was coming on to me harder than anyone I've ever met, and I panicked because I didn't know what else to do, to get the message across, so I-"

"There… is no need to apologise," replied Castiel, smiling slightly. "It was unexpected, yes, but… not entirely unwelcome."

To that, Dean had no response. It was as unexpected as the kiss had been, forcing Dean to turn away to hide the widening smile on his face. He was filling with warmth over the acceptance of his gesture, and while it was not originally meant to mean or start anything, it certainly heralded greater things. Whatever it was that he felt between Castiel and himself, Dean knew it was unlike anything he had ever experienced before. Not just because it was between two men, but because it felt… _good. _

Their order was called out, so with burgers in hand Castiel followed Dean back to the car. Once they were both inside, Castiel fidgeted with the dials on the radio for a while until he found something that the two of them deemed pleasant enough to listen to. Dean was already halfway into his by the time Castiel had taken his first mouthful, his look of shock earning a mumbled 'what' around a mouthful of food.

"Nothing," Castiel chuckled. "These burgers are delicious." He added, finally taking a bite.

* * *

_Day Nine, in which they check in._

- Thirtieth of October, 11:39am-

Castiel went over his small suitcase once more to ensure that everything had been packed. He had his clothes, toiletries, phone charger and costume all slotted in neatly, calling to mind the videogame Tetris. Not wanting to dally further, he shrugged his shoulders and zipped it shut. If he needed something, he could always buy it from the shopping area close to the accommodation they were staying at. "Dean," he called out. "You ready to go?"

"Almost! Just making sure Sam has everything!" Dean grabbed his brother's face in his hands, looking him directly in the eye. No words needed to be spoken; such was their relationship, so Sam immediately knew that he was to be extremely careful and not to do anything that Dean wouldn't do. "You alright Sammy?"

"For the last time Dean, it'll be fine," Sam replied.

"Okay." He slapped Sam on the cheek lightly, affirming his superiority that came through age. "Have fun."

He watched his younger brother walk out the door with his things and get into Ruby's car. It did not please him that Sam would be staying with her, but short of leaving Sam home alone, there was nothing else that they could do. Castiel was beside him now, resting a hand on his shoulder. The expression in his eyes was soothing to Dean, the soft lines creating a sense of calm.

"Let's hit the road," Dean said eagerly. This was the first party in a long time that he'd been to and it was quickly becoming one of his most anticipated ventures. The fact that he was going with Castiel made it that much sweeter.

"Would you like me to take over driving?" Castiel offered. "You should rest."

Dean waved it off. "Nah, Cas, we're almost there anyway. You can relax. I got this."

"Well, don't forget that we still need to pick up the rest of my costume." The last few words trailed off into sleep as Castiel rolled over, glad that Dean had decided not to switch places. The soothing sounds of the album 'Coexist' were making him incredibly drowsy, and it was a wonder that Dean did not feel the same. Then again, from what he knew, this did not really seem like the type of music that he was interested in. Still, he did not protest when Castiel put in the disc.

According to the map showing up on the phone, they were still an hour away from the place that they'd be sleeping at. Dean's eyes were peeled for the sign indicating the turn off to the shopping square where they were supposed to pick up the costume, already bought and paid for thanks to some very intuitive online shopping on Castiel's part. If he remained asleep when they arrived at the shop, all Dean had to do was take in the docket and hand it to the attendant.

"God, I hope this one's better than Dale," he muttered to himself.

It was a good half-hour before Dean reached the costume store, and, as he expected, Castiel was still sound asleep. It was nice to see someone like this, so comfortable around him that they could relax and not feel uncomfortable in the slightest. Before he stepped out of the car, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone.

"Smile Cas," he whispered, taking a perfect shot of him drooling on his hand. "Aw."

The door to the shop was open, and Dean could hear loud crashing and banging sounds coming from within. Hesitantly, he stepped inside to see a young woman doing her best to support a shelf that had come loose from its bearings.

"Here, let me get that," Dean said, half running half skipping over to assist her. He took the plank from her hands and raised it enough so that she could slide the supporting beam back across. "Are you okay?" As she turned to face him, Dean got a better look at the shirt she was wearing and he noticed that it didn't make much sense. There was a soufflé with 'Alaska' written across it.

"Yeah," she replied, glancing at the docket still in Dean's hand. "I just took a few wigs to the face, nothing major. I assume you're Castiel?"

"Nope, Dean. Cas is in the car… asleep."

"I see. Well then, Dean, I'm Shea. I'll be back in a second with your things." With a smile, she took the slip of paper from Dean's grasp and went out a back door, to what Dean assumed was a storage area.

While he waited, his eyes wandered around the room, finally coming to a rest atop a computer screen. It was mostly blue, with a lot of moving pictures constantly looping. Intrigued, he stepped forward for a closer look, but Shea hurriedly turned the screen away before he could look at it properly.

"Sorry," she replied, laughing awkwardly. "It's uhh… personal. Here is your costume, all bought and paid for already. If you have any problems, you've got seven days to return it for a refund or an exchange. Anything else I can do for you?"

"I'm good," Dean replied. "See you around, Shea."

She saluted Dean and resumed looking at whatever was on the computer screen. He picked up the bag and went back out to the car, where Castiel was now awake and waiting. His expression eased when he saw Dean approaching.

"Did you sleep well?"

"Yes, thank you," Castiel replied, absentmindedly wiping his hand against the back of his pants. He hoped that Dean hadn't seen him drooling, but when was he ever that lucky?

"Dean, turn here," Castiel commanded. They had almost continued on past the entrance, which was inconveniently tucked away behind some tall trees.

As they drove up the entry, an older looking woman came up by their window and directed them to the front office where they were supposed to check in. She followed them along, holding the door open for them as she ushered them inside.

"Now, checking you two boys in? I trust you've already made a reservation?"

"Yes," Castiel said, stepping forward. "I booked online. It's under my name – _Castiel_."

The woman scrolled with the mouse for a few seconds, before looking up with a smile. "Yes here we are, Castiel. Room number – oh, I'm terribly sorry, but there seems to be a double booking," she stammered.

"Pardon?"

"I'm not sure why, but the room you were supposed to have has already been occupied… there was an error with the online bookings."

"Well, what happens now?" Dean asked.

The woman was silent for a moment, thinking of where to put the two in front of her. "There's no other choice but to upgrade you to our premium suite. At no extra charge to you, of course."

"Awesome," Dean exclaimed, fist pumping the air. "Thank you so much!"

"And since you're both quite cute, I'll even throw in all the extra frills that room usually entitles you to." She reached under the counter and pulled out a segmented lock box that contained all of the room keys. There were only a few remaining.

"You always busy this time of year?" Dean asked.

"Yes, we've been getting a lot of traffic these past few years, ever since some rich hoo-ha started throwing these crazy Halloween parties. We get booked out almost every year," she explained. After handing them the key, she politely excused herself and went back to whatever she needed to do.

Dean followed the directions on the area map, which was far larger than expected. Their 'room' was more a small cottage, in its own secluded area at the far end of the holiday park. There was even a car space reserved for them.

"This certainly turned out better than expected," Castiel admitted. "I must say, I am quite excited to see the inside."

"That makes two of us."

It was safe to say that the interior did not disappoint. While it was quite small in size, there was no restraint in providing luxury goods. On the right was a kitchen/lounge area, complete with an extremely soft sofa that had reclining chairs on either side. The kitchen itself was quite modern, equipped with everything they'd need to cook decent meals for the few days that they'd be there.

"Dean?" Castiel called out.

"Yeah?"

"You might want to take a look at the bedroom."

Curious, Dean walked down the short hallway to where the bedroom was. He peeked inside, and saw Castiel standing over a large, pink love-bed that was sprinkled with rose petals. The sheer size of it was impressive, it being one of the largest beds that either of them had ever seen. Dean walked over to the opposite side of the bed which was facing away from the large window. "I call this side," he said with a smirk.

"Fine," Castiel muttered through pursed lips. "We've still got some time before we should get ready. Would you like to watch a movie?"

"Sure, what're our options? None of that chick-flick crap, okay?"

"Hm. According to this, there should be a select few movies already available if we turn on the television. Dean?" Castiel looked up to see Dean already sprinting out the door to the lounge area. He sighed, before following him out. "What are we watching?"

"Paranormal Activity," Dean replied, a huge grin spreading across his face. "Sam said it was pretty good."

"Do we have to? I… don't like demons and monsters."

Dean chuckled. "Relax Cas, I'm here to keep you safe. Besides, Sam said it was _fun _which doesn't mean scary. And it's Halloween."

"_Fine._" Castiel threw his arms up in defeat, his words carrying a little more force than usual. "I'm going to regret this," he muttered under his breath, taking a seat beside Dean.

For the entirety of the movie, Dean was wearing a stupidly pleased grin, highlighting just how much he was enjoying what was happening. Every time something scary would happen, he'd jump up and cheer, getting increasingly riled up as the tension rose on-screen. "Oh, wow! Cas, did you see that?" he'd shout, to which Castiel would reply with a meek "yes." He was leaning forward in eager anticipation, claiming that in any other world, Dean would fight back against whatever was stalking him.

For every scare that Dean cheered for, Castiel edge further away from the screen. "Dean, I… I don't like this. De-aaah!" Castiel's hand swung out to grab Dean's, as the movie was beginning to be a bit too much for him to handle. "Can we stop watching this? Please? It's _terrifying me!_" The response he received was something along the lines of 'it's almost over, deal with it.' For the remainder of the film, his grip remained tightly on Dean, and as soon as it was over he stood straight up. "I am picking the next movie, and you are going to sit through every _minute _of whatever it is!"

"That really scared you didn't it?" Dean asked, laughing.

"Yes it did! What's so funny? If I can't sleep tonight…"

Dean stood up too, moving in closer and staring right into Castiel's eyes. "Hey, it's okay. Nothings gonna harm you… not while I'm around."

Castiel smiled, trying to accept Dean's reassurance but not really succeeding.

"Wow," Dean said, grinning again. "You are such a _queen_," he teased.

In a mere fraction of a second, the smile on Castiel's face turned to a scowl as he stormed off into the bedroom. He threw Dean's costume out the door, snapping at him to get ready to leave.

"I'm probably going to pay for that comment," Dean said to himself. He'd seen that expression too many times before, mostly from Sam – and it always ended with Dean regretting his words. Perhaps there was a lesson in that for him to learn, but… he thought he was too funny to heed his own advice.

* * *

_Day Nine, the night of which is a party._

-Thirtieth of October, 7:23pm-

"Dean! The cab is here!"

"Just a second," Dean called back in response. He slipped on the helmet and picked up the fake sword that came with his costume and stepped outside to where Castiel was waiting for him. The cold wind sent a pang of regret through him, making him wish that he had elected to wear a warmer costume. It was too late to change his mind now, however, and he pretended not to notice Castiel checking his legs out as he strode past him.

They sat in the car together, and the driver leaned over to the back seat. "You two heading to that big party in town?" he asked.

"This one?" Castiel replied, holding out the invitation.

The driver nodded, putting the car into gear. "Y'all need to be careful," he said gently. "I'm not sure what goes on at these things, but I've heard that they get scary. Take one of my cards; I'm on all night so I can pick you up as well, okay?"

"Thanks man, that's awesome. When you say scary though, you just mean in a general Halloween way right?" Dean asked cautiously.

The driver shrugged. "Can't say. Never been to one myself."

Dean exchanged a worried glance with Castiel, who mouthed an 'it'll be fine,' in return.

As they approached, they found that the taxi driver's heads up was completely unnecessary, as the thumping music and bright lights were enough of a giveaway that they had arrived. The house it was being held at was huge and magnificently decorated, looking truly like an abandoned mansion despite the people pouring out of it. Carved pumpkins lined the pathway up to the front gate which was adorned with an impaled corpse that glanced up and growled at all who passed by its field of view.

They thanked the taxi driver, keeping his card and saying that they'd be seeing him soon. "You ready?" Castiel said to Dean.

"Hell yeah," he replied, running up to the animated corpse to get a closer look. "Cas! This is amazing, it looks so lifelike! It even smells real," Dean shouted, laughing maniacally.

Castiel gave the body a wide berth as they walked up the path. There were so many people there, some of the costumes being incredible, while most of them were largely superficial, designed more for comfort rather than extravagance.

"I am Loki, of Asgard and I am burdened with glorious purpose. Which happens to be hosting this party!" shouted Gabriel. "Cas and… Dean, isn't it? Welcome!"

"Hello, Gabriel," replied Castiel.

Dean extended his hand in greeting, gripping Gabriel in a firm shake as he congratulated him on his outstanding decorating skills. "And the zombie-thing, out front? Love it!"

"Why thank you Dean," Gabriel replied, smirking at his brother. "At least _someone _appreciates all the effort I go to so that we can all have fun! Not sure what you meant about the zombie thing though, but if it looks cool then I'm behind it! You guys have fun tonight, okay? I'd stick around, but I got other people to greet too. Cheerio!" With that, Gabriel disappeared into the crowd in seconds.

"Dude, your brother's awesome," Dean said.

"Quite. Let's go get some drinks," Castiel replied.

They pushed through the crowd and made their way to the bar. They each ordered their own drinks, sipping them slowly as they bobbed in time with the music. Neither of them were drunk enough to join in with the mass of people dancing in front of them, so the two of them were content to sit and watch… for now. Suddenly, Castiel looked up and grimaced, alarming Dean momentarily.

"What's wrong Cas?"

He sighed. "Nothing, just… some old friends. You wait here Dean, I must say hello." Castiel stood up and walked into the crowd disappearing like magic before his eyes.

"Okay," Dean grumbled, feeling slightly betrayed by the sudden ditch. Thankfully, he wasn't alone for long as a familiar face sat down beside him.

"Hello, Dean," said Bela, smiling. "Didn't expect to see you here? How did you manage to get invited?"

Dean chuckled. "To be honest, it surprised me a bit too. I've never been to a place like this."

"Hmm…" replied Bela, staring at her empty glass. "Shall we get another drink?" she asked, indicating Dean's almost empty beverage.

"Sure."

Dean asked for a beer, to which Bela responded with a snigger. "Please, you're getting something with a bit more of a kick than that. How're you supposed to have any fun with that?" she said, turning to the bartender. "Vodka. Up. Two please," she said, batting her eyelids.

Moments later, they were back to their seats with vodka in hand. Truth be told, it was one of Dean's least favourite things to drink, and if he was going for the straight stuff he'd prefer rum or scotch, not the clear stuff.

Once they had finished those drinks, Dean stood up and said that it was his turn to choose. He returned with two glasses of Captain Morgan's Original Spiced Gold, a personal favourite of his that he often elected to drink. They shared what was almost a whole bottle, before Dean suggested that they ease the pace with which they were downing the alcohol.

"Maybe… maybe we should slow it down with the drinks," Dean mumbled, the effects beginning to cloud his mind.

"Nonsense!" Bela shouted. "I… tonight, we drink! Bartender! Can I get a round of tequila shots over here?"

The bartender nodded. "Comin' right up."

Several shots appeared in front of them, lined up neatly on the countertop. "On the count of three," Dean replied.

"Hold on," Bela replied. She split the shots up into two even groups. "When you hit three, we gotta do –hic– all of them one after the other!"

Oh how Dean was going to regret this. Normally, he'd deny such a suggestion, but his sense of judgement was skewed at the moment, so he simply replied with "awesome!" He picked up the first shot in his hand. "One…" he raised the shot closer to his mouth. "Two…" Bela did the same. "Three!"

And just like that, they down four shots each. Bela took a moment to make sure everything was going to stay down, while Dean raised his fist in the air to cheer.

"Bartender! Canigetanotherroundoverhere!?" slurred Dean.

He chuckled. "I think you two have had enough for now. Come back to me in a while, and I'll see how you are."

Bela stuck out her tongue. "Boo, you whore," she groaned. "C'mon Dean, let's go find a couch. I needa lie down." Any classiness that Bela regularly spoke with was washed away.

The two of them stumbled around looking for a place that they could both sit comfortably, until a beautiful red loveseat revealed itself to them. Bela grabbed Dean by the hand and sprinted over to it, almost falling down on many occasions before they both dived onto it laughing.

"So…" Bela began, her words beginning to drag quite heavily. "Who'd you come with?"

"Castiel," Dean replied. "I wonder where he is now."

"What does he look like? I'll keep…" Bela trailed off. Dean shook her, and she snapped back to attention. "I'll keep my eyes peeled."

"Well…" Dean began, smiling as he drew on his memories. "The first thing you'll notice about him is his eyes. They're big, and beautiful… and blue. When you look at him, you… I feel at ease, he looks so kind and loving. And his lips, well… they're just something special. It's so hard… every time I look at him, I just want to pull him in close, and run my lips along his and…"

"Thank you, for that – vivid – description, but I meant what he was _wearing._"

"Oh… right. It's a – he's a bumblebee."

Bela's eyes scanned the area, remaining pretty acute for someone who had ingested so much alcohol. Just behind Dean was the man in question, talking to a group of people whom she had never seen before. Dean still hadn't noticed him, and if his expression was anything to go by, he wouldn't be noticing anything at all anytime soon.

"Dean, do you trust me?" she asked.

"With my life," he replied.

She leaned over him and straddled his hips, pushing him down into clear view of Castiel, who looked at them both instantly. Bela leaned down, getting right in close to Dean's ear and nipping at it gently. "Don't look now, but Castiel's watching. Play your cards right and you'll have him wrapped around your finger. Jealousy is a powerful tool…" she kissed behind his ear, down his neck and then dove in for a heated kiss on the lips.

It took Dean a few seconds to process what she had said, but after that he returned the kiss with surprising vigour. Again, this was not something he'd normally do, but alcohol is a wonderful tool for altering behaviour from the norm.

Castiel broke off the conversation with whoever he was talking to and stormed over to the two of them.

"Dean," he growled. "Who's your friend?"

"Hey Cas, this is Bela. Bela, Cas."

"Great. What are you doing?" Castiel replied angrily.

"It's pretty obvious…"

Castiel released a sound of anger before stalking off. "Go," Bela chuckled. "Have fun," she said with a wink.

"Cas! Wait up!" Dean yelled.

He didn't even look back, instead dashing up the stairs to one of the many bedrooms in the house. It was unfair what Dean had done, especially after the costume shop incident. Castiel slammed the door shut behind him, kindly telling Dean to leave him alone.

Instead, he pushed open the door and, after closing it behind himself, sauntered over to Castiel. "Ahhh…' he sighed. "Are you… jealous?"

"No, _Dean_. I am not jealous," he snapped in response.

Dean laughed in his face. "If you say so buddy, but…" he approached Castiel, their faces now inches apart. "If you ask me, it kinda looks like you are. Don't tell me you wouldn't prefer I did this to you instead of her." Dean pushed Castiel back onto the bed, sliding his body up on top of him.

"Dean- what are-"

"Shut up," he replied. His hands clutched at some of Castiel's shaggy hair, pulling their mouths together in a half-angry, half-loving kiss. This one was extremely different to the first one they shared, it being long, hard and deliberate where the other was rushed and awkward. Their tongues and teeth clashed in a bid for control, with occasional nibbles earning deep groans and sighs from the two of them.

Dean pulled back to admire the writhing mess of a man that lay beneath him, and undid the clasps of his armour. He leaned back in, gasping at the new contact between the two of them. Castiel rolled over, so that he was now sitting on top of Dean, pinning his arms and legs back against the bed. He did not even attempt to get free, instead waiting for Castiel to rush in for another heated kiss. Dean's lips were cool and sweet, with the unmistakable flavour of a strong alcohol, and the cry of desire exuded hunger and desperation.

Castiel held Dean down with one hand as he pulled off his shirt with the other. The look in Castiel's eyes was wicked, seductive and dangerously alluring. Dean's heart thudded wildly. He knew he should be taking this slowly, having never experienced anything like it before. But his need negated those feelings… and perhaps his common sense.

"Dean, are you ready for this?" he breathed.

Dean nodded in response.

"Feel me," Castiel growled. He gripped Dean's hand and guided it down his body, allowing him to get a sense of every part of his slender frame.

Dean could feel Castiel throbbing through the thin pants of his costume, and he instinctively squeezed him, eliciting a moan from deep in the back of his throat.

"See what you do to me?" Castiel growled. "This is because of you. I expect you to take care of it."

Dean licked his lips, preparing himself for what he was about to do. Even with the drink in his system, he was still incredibly nervous, and he certainly did not want Castiel to grow bored of him. He had to see Castiel, had to feel him – had to find out if he was anything like he was in his dream. His feeling of desire perhaps even overshadowed Castiel's. And so, Dean slowly reached down to the hem of Castiel's pants. He slid the elastic waistband down, moving so slowly that it caused Cas to growl in anticipation.

There was a sharp intake of breath from both men as Castiel was released. For Dean, it lived up to everything that he had imagined, and for Castiel, well – it just felt good to be freed from the constricting pants.

"Cas…" Dean mumbled. He wrapped his hand tightly around Castiel and gave a few gentle strokes, getting a feel for what he needed to do. In his head, he imagined it to be not that much different to what he did himself, and if the sounds of pleasure coming from Castiel were anything to go by, he was right.

Suddenly, Castiel halted Dean's movements. He raised his hips so that the only places that they were touching each other were his knees on the sides of Dean's legs, and slid the remainder of Dean's costume up and off his body.

"Nice underwear," Castiel sneered, yanking them down past his knees. He gave Dean a few lazy pumps until he was fully erect, before trailing light kisses down his navel. He ran his tongue along Dean from base to tip, chuckling at the shudder that his actions earned. Slowly, he enveloped the entirety of Dean's cock in his mouth, and then – in what Dean believed to be torture – pulled away. He repeated his actions before Dean's hand stopped him.

"Stop Cas, I want – you too," he moaned.

"How kind of you," Castiel replied.

If Dean wasn't so consumed with lust, he'd probably have found it funny how Castiel dropped the classy, calm and collected exterior he adopted on a day to day basis. But now, Castiel spoke, no – only issued _commands _– with incredible force, leaving Dean with little doubt in his mind that he'd be able to deny his requests.

Castiel completely removed his clothing too, grinding his body up against Dean and enjoying the feeling that it provided. Just when Dean needed contact the most, Castiel got up and let go of him completely. He repositioned himself so that Dean was directly below him, with his own cock swinging above Dean's mouth. "Now we can help each other." He lowered his hips just a little, savouring the feeling of Dean's lips wrapped around the tip of his penis.

Dean lifted his head, taking in as much of Castiel as he could, waiting for Castiel to do the same. They continued on like that until Castiel rolled off the top.

"I'm close," he growled.

"M-me too," Dean stammered in response.

Castiel returned to the position that they had started in, grabbing both their cocks in one hand. He moved his fist back and forth, until he and Dean both cried out as waves of pleasure washed over them. Castiel collapsed on top of him, before reluctantly sliding apart.

For some time, the two of them just lay there, side by side. Castiel held Dean close, trailing his fingers over every inch of Dean's back, mapping it out and committing it to memory.

Eventually, they worked up the energy to go and get cleaned up in the bathroom suite attached to the bedroom they were in. Castiel, having only had a couple of drinks himself, supported Dean for almost the entire time they were in there.

Castiel hastily dressed the two of them, recognising the look on Dean's face, and knowing that they needed to get back to their accommodation immediately. He called the taxi driver from before, who responded with a 'see you in ten minutes,' which gave Castiel enough time to find Dean some water.

They were on their way out the door when Gabriel stopped them. "Leaving so soon? The real fun's about to begin!"

"Sorry, Dean's had a bit much to drink, and we're both pretty tired."

"Suit yourself, but next year you are going to stay the _whole _night. Promise me, dear brother."

"If it pleases you," Castiel replied.

The two of them had progressed to the front gate (which, curiously, was missing the body from earlier) when Bela stumbled up to them.

"See you 'round, boys," she crooned. After that, she stumbled off into the darkness. Castiel contemplating going to help her, but then he remembered that she had just been making out with Dean so he let her go.

They waited out the front for a few minutes until their ride arrived, which they promptly slid into. It was a silent drive back, something that Castiel was grateful for. He wasn't lying when he said he was tired.

He paid the driver, thanked him, and then carried Dean inside. Dean passed out as soon as he was on the bed, so Castiel just left him there in his costume. He got changed, then slipped into the covers.

"Cas?" Dean asked faintly.

"Yes, Dean?"

"Thanks for carrying me inside," he mumbled. He dragged his arm across the bed, laying it across Castiel's body.

"Any time," Castiel replied.

* * *

_Day Ten, in which something is sorely wrong._

-Thirty-first of October, 12:00pm –

Much to Castiel's pleasure, Dean had finally woken up. His first requirement was water, which Castiel had already placed by Dean's bedside.

"Dean, I'm going to go ask at the front desk where I can buy stuff – bacon, eggs, that sort of thing. Anything you want me to get while I'm out?"

Dean shook his head. He watched Castiel walk out the door, giving him a pathetic wave goodbye. After a few moments, he gathered his strength and lifted himself from the bed, feeling immense relief when he realised that his hangover was not as terrible as he expected. He took the time to look around properly, and after a few minutes, Castiel had returned.

"I can't find anyone around here," he muttered.

"Maybe the employees are on break?"

"All at once? I didn't think so, but I decided to look for any other residents here to see if they knew – but there's no one else here either."

"What do you mean?" Dean asked, looking mighty confused,

"I mean exactly that – this place is empty. I thought it was unusually quiet this morning."

"I wonder what's going on… Wanna walk out the front of this place, see if anyone's there?"

Castiel nodded, and the two of them followed the winding paths that wrapped around the buildings. When they went past the front office, Castiel peeked inside again; even tried calling out, but there was no one there. It struck him as odd, too, that everything was unlocked.

"There's not even a single car on the road," Dean observed.

"What… hey, over there. There's a woman there. She might know what's happening."

"Excuse me!" Dean shouted. "Hello!"

The two of them walked closer, and the woman turned around to face them. Something was very, _very _wrong. The woman, or whatever it was, shrieked horribly, sending a terrible sensation through the air.

Dean grabbed Castiel by the arm and pulled him away. "Cas… RUN!"

* * *

**A/N: So, its not really spooky yet, but rest assured, the next part will be! I hope you all enjoyed this part, and thank you to everyone who reviewed, favorited or followed both me and/or this story. Getting the notifications really brightens up my day! **

**guest: Thank you so much! Glad to hear you're enjoying it :)  
**

**sonreirbot: Ahhh... Cliffhangers. They make it fun! Thank you so very much for reviewing as often as you do! I must also apologise for the lengthy wait between this chapter and the last! Weee I might have a surprise for you sometime soon!1**

**potterbuncker: Yes, I most certainly do intend to iterate on LeviCorp and the family in later chapters. Thank you so much!  
**

**OneTooManyHeadaches: Well then, if that's the case... LOVE YOU 5EVA okay! lwkjefwfer! Nice to see you're enjoying this :)  
**

**Thanks again! Keep your eyes out for part two on Hallow's Eve! **

**Omg, Season GR8 is fantastic! Love~**


	10. Halloween Special Part Two – Until Dawn

_**HALLOWEEN SPECIAL, PART TWO.**_

_**A/N: I guess this goes without saying, since it **_**is **_**a Halloween horror special after all, but I do expect there to be a healthy amount of gore, because you know… zombies. And probably other stuff. Also, I am terribly sorry for the super mega ultra delay in getting this up! Please please PLEEEAAASE forgive me! On top of that, the character 'Jo' in this chapter is **__**not**__** Jo Harvelle. When I was naming them, I went through my friends list and by the time I realised, it was too late to change it. Enjoy!**_

That thing, whatever it was, sprinted after them. For every step it took, a horrible wet snapping sound could be heard, terrifying Castiel to the point that he just began to scream uncontrollably. Dean was still holding onto him tightly, and that was the only thing grounding him in reality as they sped back to their room.

"Dean what the fuck is going on?" Castiel shouted, derangement beginning to show in the whites of his eyes. "That woman, she… what, Dean Dean Dean-"

"Cas! Look at me," Dean replied firmly, grabbing Castiel on either side of his face. "I don't know what's happening, but you _do _need to calm down."

Castiel emitted a panicked sound, somewhere between a groan and a shriek, causing Dean to jump a tiny bit.

"Cas! _Stop!_" he shouted, with more power behind his voice. "You're going crazy and your eyes are doing this… thing! Just calm down, okay?" Dean released Castiel. "Breathe."

It was hard, but Castiel heeded Dean's words and slowed his breathing to a normal pace. In time he felt his body relaxing, and then Dean stepped back from him.

"I could be wrong," Dean began, hesitating. "But I _think _that she was… a zombie."

"A… what?"

"A freakin' flesh eating, shuffling, night of the living dead type terror," he continued. "We've got to find weapons, something to defend ourselves with."

"Dean," Castiel stammered. "I… I don't think I can do this!"

"Well, Cas," Dean replied. "You've got to. Now shut up, nut up, and find a damn weapon."

At the end of his sentence, Dean flew around their small cottage like a whirlwind. Castiel watched in awe as he went about everything so calmly, despite having just encountered something that was previously reserved for Dean's favourite movies, or, in Castiel's case, his nightmares. In a short amount of time, Dean had amassed a pile of mundane household items, which if used correctly (Or incorrectly) could be seriously deadly.

"You seem awfully used to this," Castiel muttered.

Dean looked up, chuckling. "I know, it's kinda weird, but… I feel like I've done this before, you know? Anyway, do you want the meat cleaver or the tenderizer?"

Castiel gulped. "The tenderizer?" He extended his hand, taking the blunt object and closing his fist around it. "It sounded a little more badass in my head."

"Well, these are only until we can find something better to use. Hey, do you know if there's sporting equipment anywhere nearby? I remember reading about being able to get some from the office."

There was a loud smash as that _thing _from earlier broke through the front window. It scrambled to its feet and clawed its way over the sofa, spilling some kind of fluid all over the fine upholstery. Dean shoved Castiel aside, bringing the cleaver high over his head before swinging downward with all his might. The zombified woman shrieked and gargled as the silver blade cut partway through her neck, with even more gore now spurting from the gaping wound. He tried yanking it out, but the tip was caught in bone and the zombie was most certainly not dead. It scraped at Dean trying to get a hold of what had caused it pain, but he leaped out of harm's way with an amazing grace.

The zombie lumbered toward the two men, bloody hands reaching out, growling and moaning just like its silver-screen counterparts. "Now, Cas!" Dean screamed, urging Castiel to attack.

It took him two seconds to process what Dean had told him to do, and just as the monster came into arms reach, Castiel smashed into its face with the meat tenderizer. The sound that could be heard as the woman's head caved in was unimaginably horrible, it alone being almost enough to make Castiel be sick. He looked away and ran outside with Dean in his wake.

"Oh my _God _Dean. Nope! Nope nope nope! I-"

Dean slapped him firmly on the cheek. "Pull yourself together! We need to find out what's going on, and try and… Sam. I need to call him!" He reached into his pocket and fished out his phone. With alarming speed and pressure, Dean dialled his younger brother's phone number. He tapped his feet impatiently as he waited for an answer, and when none came he immediately dialled again. "C'mon Sammy, pick up!"

It then occurred to Castiel that he, too, should be calling his brothers, to see if they knew anything about what was going on. He pulled up his contact list, and as he scrolled to Gabriel's name, he recalled the 'decoration' on the front gate at the party last night. What if the reason it seemed so lifelike was because it actually _was _a zombie? Suddenly filled with anger at the danger Gabriel's decorating had brought to himself and Dean, he wanted to do nothing more than find his brother and hit him in the face. Hard.

Neither Dean nor Castiel could get through to anyone they tried, so they looked at each other for reassurance.

"Dean, maybe we should go into town – search for other people? For all we know that woman could have been the only one."

Dean nodded. "I've got a gun hidden in the space under the passenger seat of my car. Take these-" he tossed his car keys to Castiel, who reacted just in time to catch them "-and find the gun. Drive the car around to the front office, where I'll be waiting. I'm going to look for something. Can you do that?"

He nodded. "Gun. Front office. I'll see to it that it's done."

"And if you see anyone that looks even _remotely _dead, I want you to hit that son of a bitch as hard as you can. Reverse back over it if you have to."

Once he was certain that Castiel would follow his instructions, Dean hurried off to the front office. On his way down, he kept an ear out for any potential threats. He couldn't tell if the silence was comforting or terrifying; the faint rumble of his car being the only reminder that he was not alone in this place. The aloneness was beginning to fell oppressive, so he took a few moments to calm himself. Having seen how badly Castiel was reacting to this entirely improbable situation, he knew he had to stay completely in control if the two of them were to hold any hope of survival.

At the front office it was just as quiet. Dean pulled open the door and stepped inside, closing it gently behind himself. There was something wet and sticky on the handle but it was too dark inside to make anything out. In fact, he could barely see anything at all, so he fumbled around with his phone, trying to work out how to turn the flash light on.

"Damnit, where's Sammy when I need him?" he muttered to himself, unable to work out how to get the light on consistently. In the end, he had no choice but to settle for the light that it produced as you took a photo. Not the best option, but it was all he had right now.

Click.

The camera flashed, illuminating the path ahead for two brief seconds. There was the counter he remembered to his left, on the right was a white door, and beyond that was a hallway.

Click.

Dean looked at the desk, examining it for anything that could help them; maps of the local area, points of interest, _weapons _stores. He snatched up a few town maps and stuffed them into his pockets, knowing that they'd need more than one.

There was a low howl as a breeze blew through the building, swirling around Dean's feet before moving to the exit. The wooden door closed with it, and Dean's gut dropped as he heard the distinct sound of a lock snapping into place.

Click.

There was a small key that had been hidden under the stack of maps. There was a tag on it, but the light was gone too quickly for Dean to make out what it said. He picked it up and brought it close to the phone's screen to make out the tiny letters. 'Supply Cabinet.'

Click.

Ready to move on, Dean tried the door that was to his right when he came in. At first, he thought it was locked, but once he turned the handle with a little more force he was able to push it open. He stepped inside.

Click.

Despite seeing that the room was empty, Dean was filled with the overwhelming sense that there was someone else here with him. On instinct, he felt the wall space beside the door, hoping to touch a light switch. He sighed in relief when his fingers slid over what he was looking for, and flicked it on. The lights flickered to life, revealing the room he was in to be some sort of coffee break room. There was a round table in the centre, scattered with a few mugs, some spilt sugar and an empty can of drink. Lining the walls were coat hooks, lockers and a few mirrors, but nothing that looked particularly important. Despite that, he checked everything thoroughly.

"Gotcha," Dean said, pleased with himself. Hidden away in the wall beside a locker and beneath a coat was the storage cabinet that required the key he had picked up earlier. It slid into the lock smoothly, and the door popped open revealing only a few items, but they were things that would prove extremely valuable. A loaded (and somewhat antiquated looking) pump action shotgun, which Dean knew he had seen before, some spare shells, and an extremely sharp and deadly looking combat knife. It struck Dean as a little odd that these people were carrying such items, but he wasn't going to complain now that he needed them greatly. After a quick once-over, Dean left the comfort of the light and stepped back out into the hallway. With the door closed, it was even darker inside, and there was not a single light switch to be found. Dean assumed that the main switches would be located at the back entrance, where the staff came in when they opened up. For now, he was just going to have to brave the darkness. It was less menacing when you had a shotgun in your hands, though.

Click.

The hallway was long and empty; the walls devoid of any decoration, making it seem that much longer. Dean steeled himself and made his way down, hoping that in reality it was not as long as it looked, and that the way out would just be _there._

Click.

The end of the hall opened out into a sort of small room with a few doors, two of them marked with the symbols for male and female. That left two others. In the silence of his decision making, Dean's ears picked up the sound of a woman crying. He stepped forward, hoping to get a better clue as to where it was coming from. It was the door on the left. He reached out for the handle, twisted it, and then stepped inside. The crying stopped the second he set foot into the room.

Slowly, he raised the phone in front of him. Click.

It was a wonder how Dean didn't scream at the top of his lungs then and there. There was a woman – or what was left of her – lying down in the foetal position, clutching at the bloody gap where her stomach used to be.

"My baby…" she sobbed.

This poor woman, Dean thought. He knelt down beside her, uncertain if there was anything he could do. "Are…" No, he couldn't ask if she was okay. Clearly she was _not okay. _"I'm… sorry," he said gently.

"My… _baby."_ Her voice was changing now. It sounded a lot like she was calling out for something. "My baby!" she shrieked. She scratched at Dean, an attack he only narrowly avoided. Before she could get up, Dean booted the zombie in the head. He hit it with such force that the neck snapped back, and the corpse remained still.

There was another shriek, and something small and spindly latched itself around Dean's neck. It was emitting an odd throaty sound, as though it were a lizard of some sort. Dean reached up over his head, grabbing at whatever was around his neck. It was slimy, but soft and squishy, making it almost impossible to get a decent grip of. He ran backwards, smashing into the wall and almost winding himself. Whatever it was that was on him released its grip, but it was definitely not incapacitated. It scurried around on the floor, running away from Dean to keep itself safe.

Dean got out of the room as quickly as he could, heading right in the direction of the other door. He reached out for the handle, gripped it tight, and… someone else pulled it open.

"Dean!" Castiel cried. "What… are you okay?"

"A little bruised, I think. Nothing serious, though. C'mon, let's get outta here. I've got these maps, so we can look for places on them or as we go through town."

The car was stopped just around the corner of the building, Castiel having had the common sense to park it as close as possible. The two of them got inside, with Castiel still driving. Eager to be out of the holiday park, he put his foot to the accelerator and sped down the driveway.

It was another silent drive as the two of them processed their thoughts and feelings on what was happening to them. Was it just this area, or the entire country? Or was it a global crisis, reaching as far as possible? Where was everyone? Was this the fault of a single person, or some large-scale pharmaceutical company? There were so many questions flowing through their minds that they barely noticed someone calling out to them.

"Is that… Bela?" asked Dean.

"It appears so," replied Castiel, a little sharply. He didn't drink as much as Dean and his memory of the night before was crystal clear. Including the part where Bela had her hands and mouth all over Dean. "Shall we stop?"

"Are you kidding? Of course we're stopping!"

Castiel begrudgingly pulled the car over, slowing to a halt just outside of a fruit market. Bela hurried over, looking as terrified as Castiel did earlier. Dean opened the door to let her in, earning a jealous 'ugh' from his friend. Luckily Dean didn't hear a thing.

"Dean, Castiel – what the fuck is going on?" she panted, sliding into the car. "I woke up this morning, and there was nobody about. I came into town, which was completely empty, and the next thing I know I'm fucking sprinting for my life from a small crowd!"

"Have you tried contacting anyone?" Dean asked, hoping that she could fill him in on the condition of anywhere else.

"No… I can't get through," she replied. "I think it has something to do with the mobile phones. There's no signal."

"Any suggestions on where to go?"

Castiel watched the two of them talking silently, unable to shake his feeling of distrust toward Bela. It wasn't that he was jealous of her; it was just that he didn't want her getting too close to Dean because she just seemed like _bad news. _Still, Dean seemed to like and trust her, meaning that Castiel would have to deal with her for the time being.

"I say we just keep driving," Bela answered. "In all honesty, I feel that it's the safest thing to do, and if we go slowly we might see someone."

Having some semblance of a plan was enough for Dean, using it as a distraction to take his mind off of the fact that his younger brother may or may not be a zombie. Castiel drove along the main strip, with all three of them keeping their eyes out for any signs of trouble.

It was odd to see such a place as devoid of life as it was now. Judging by the amount of cafés and specialty stores, this area looked as though it would often be bustling with life and character.

"Pull over, quick," Dean shouted, pointing to a nearby florist. Even from a distance, the sounds of smashing were clearly audible, and going by the cries of 'get away from me!' it was pretty evident that someone was still alive inside.

Castiel and Dean jumped out of the car, weapons in hand. Dean reached inside the car to help Bela out, but she just shook her head.

"Oh no. No way I'm following you two inside! I've no weapon," she said, scrambling back into the seat and as far away from Dean's hand as possible. "Besides, someone should stay here and keep an eye out on the car."

There really was no time to argue, so Dean immediately dropped the subject and hurried inside. Castiel was following closely behind. The sounds of battle were coming from the far end of the store, behind a closed door marked 'STAFF ONLY' that was smeared with bloody hand prints.

There was a scream, or, what could have been a battle cry, and the sounds of someone running hard and fast. Dean kicked the door open right as a heavy thud could be heard from inside. The two men moved in quickly, guns raised and ready to shoot anything that attacked them. Blocking their view from the door was a row of shelves, forcing the two of them to carefully make their way around. They still weren't sure who had won, after all.

Standing over a corpse was a young girl, panting heavily. Reacting to their presence, the girl yanked a pair of secateurs out of the zombie's face and spun to charge Castiel and Dean, stopping just short of them when she realised that they were not members of the undead.

"Becky?" Dean asked, surprise evident in his tone. "What are you doing here?"

Dean remembered this girl somewhat fondly. She was cute, and sometimes very funny – both with and without meaning to be. A couple of years back, both she and Sam had been in the same grade and many of the same classes, with their friendship (both of them being awkward nerds) soon blossoming into something more. It was smooth sailing for a little while and despite knowing that the two of them would soon move on from that town, Dean did nothing to intervene – that is, until Sam had found out that she had been sneaking him some kind of love potion. After that, Sam was pretty quick to break things off and they ended up leaving town a little earlier than expected. Thankfully, magic and potions and curses were not real, because otherwise… Dean didn't even want to think how much more fucked up his life would be.

The gardening implement fell from her hands as she walked over to Dean, eyeing him suspiciously. "You haven't been bitten, have you?" she asked.

"Nope, me and Cas – we're good. Why?"

"Duh!" she replied. "Haven't you seen any zombie movies? One bite and you're infected, with no chance of getting better. Is Sam with you?" She asked the last question in earnest, doing her best to hide her ever present crush on Sam.

"No…" Dean said, voice laced with worry. "I'm sure he's okay though." _I hope he's okay…_

"I'm Castiel," he said, interrupting the two of them and extending his hand. "You are..?"

"Becky. Becky Rosen. I'm Sam's friend."

All three of them completed a quick search in the room for anything useful. It turned out practically nothing save for a large, sharp blade that was apparently used to cut through many stems at once, sort of like a guillotine. For a brief moment, Dean struggled to decide if he wanted to keep the blade and give up the shotgun – Bela would need a weapon, meaning he had to pick one or the other. Then he remembered it didn't really matter what he used, as long as it was effective at defending someone.

As they were walking back out into the shop floor, Becky stopped Dean and pulled his ear down to her level. "He's cute," she whispered to him. Then she released him and walked away, leaving Dean to wonder how he should interpret the statement.

Shrugging his shoulders, he followed them out of the room and back to the street.

The car, and Bela, was gone.

"I knew she was trouble," Castiel muttered to himself. "What're we going to do now? Next time, _Dean, _I'll decide who we do and don't pick up. We are screwed!"

"What?" Dean snapped, stepping up to Castiel. "Don't blame me! Are you saying you would have just left her out there?"

"I don't know. But maybe, if you weren't so busy being _friendly _to her, then perhaps you'd have elected to take her inside with us, and not leave her alone with the car!"

"This is ridiculous! Are you even listening to what you're saying to me?"

Becky cleared her throat in an effort to break up the minor argument between the two men. Instead, the two of them broke eye contact to look at her for only a second, and then resumed their heated glares.

"And," Dean continued, "it sounds to me like you're jealous! Is this about the party? Because I do recall you ditching me for the night to talk to everyone at the party except for me! So _excuse me_ if I make friends with the only person who bothered to talk to me that night! To make it even better – i_f you'd like to know _– Bela is the only reason you got fucking _laid _last night!"

"Boys!"

The two of them turned to face a giggling Bela, who was dangling the car keys from her finger. "Am I interrupting something?"

"Bela!" Dean shouted happily. "We were just…"

"Talking about you." Finished Castiel. "Where's the car?"

"Over there," she said, pointing to the alley behind her. "I figured it'd be safer if I moved it out of the way. Minimise visibility. I'm Bela, by the way." She turned and nodded curtly at Becky who was standing around awkwardly.

"Becky," she said, smiling in response. "If you guys don't have a plan, you should come with me to the supermarket. If there's anyone else out there, I'd wager that they've shacked up inside."

"That makes sense – plenty of food, water, and more than likely a good range of unconventional weapons. I agree with Becky." Castiel nodded, affirming his decision. He turned to Dean to see what he thought too.

"Let's do it." They all piled into the car, this time with Becky as the driver. She seemed to know the area well, so they figured it'd be best if she just took them where they needed to go. As Dean was about to slide into the back seat, he leaned into Castiel and whispered to him. "You've only just met Becky, but you already trust _her._" He pulled the door shut, forcing Castiel to move to the other side of the car.

Bela stared back and forth between the two of them, chuckling lightly. According to Becky, they were only half an hour away from the main supermarket. The two women in the car spoke briefly, but found themselves running out of topics very quickly. They even tried to include the boys in the conversation, but both Dean and Castiel seemed quite content to sit there brooding.

It was because of the awkward silence, however, that they heard two people screaming to each other in the distance. It was pretty easy to discern what they were saying.

"Chloe, run!" screamed the man. Moments later, the two of them sprinted around a corner, almost tumbling over as they rounded the edge.

The man fell down, tripping on the sidewalk and for a brief moment it looked as though Chloe was going to leave him behind.

"Nate!" she screamed, skidding to a halt so that she could bring him to his feet. "Come on!"

For a brief moment, Dean and Castiel forgot that they were in an argument, looking at each other with worry.

"What're they running from?" Dean asked, though he already knew the answer.

Soon, the sound of many hammering footsteps rung forth from the silence, accompanied by a low growl that could only belong to a zombie – or, in this case, a horde. Admittedly, it was not a big horde considering that there were roughly fifty of them, but seeing that many undead monsters running at you would be enough to cause even the toughest of men to quake in their boots.

"Becky, drive!" shouted Castiel, pulling her out of her stunned silence. She kicked the car into gear and started driving forward, while Dean unlocked the car door and shouted for Nate and Chloe to get in.

Seeing that they had a way out provided that extra adrenaline boost that they needed to reach the car before they were caught. Nate dove in, landing splayed across all three of them as Chloe pulled the door closed behind him. Becky rammed her foot down on the accelerator, driving the car clean through the pack ahead of them and showering the car in bloody carcasses. Whatever was making them zombies also seemed to weaken the skin and everything beneath it quite significantly – many of the ones that were hit by the car practically exploded like a water balloon.

As it turned out, Becky was quite the good driver, and she had them just out of reach in no time at all. The windscreen wipers were working overtime to clear the gunk that was obstructing her view, but eventually they gave out on her.

"I… I can't see!" she stammered, moving her head about in order to get a better view of the road.

"Look out!" Bela shouted, bracing herself against the front of the car.

Dean, Castiel, Chloe and Nate followed suit, doing their best to lessen the force of impact. Tires screeched as they skidded along the ground, finally coming to a halt as they drove straight into a street lamp. Whether by luck or Becky's driving skills, they had slowed down just enough that it wasn't so bad a crash that any of them were truly injured. Just a few scrapes and bruises.

As for the car, that was another story. "Oh man!" cried Dean, throwing his hands up in the air. "My car's ruined!" he paced back and forth, currently taken by the fact that he no longer had a car, and it was too old for a repair to be cost effective. He could barely afford to keep it filled with petrol, so he didn't know how he was going to get by. His thoughts were soon drawn to other things by a gentle hand, guiding him away from the wreck.

"We should keep moving, Dean," Castiel said gently. "I'm sorry about the car."

Dean nodded, walking away silently. The rest of the group followed suit as they made their way on foot to the supermarket. While Dean and Becky lead in silence, Castiel held up the end of the group diligently. It was curious to him how often Nate would crane his neck to get a better look into each store they passed, leading him to believe that perhaps there was someone else he was looking for.

"Elena," Chloe said, lagging back to Castiel's side. "He's looking for her."

"Oh," replied Castiel. "Is that his sister?"

Chloe laughed. "No, she's his girlfriend. Or friend. I think they're engaged, actually." She walked a little bit ahead of Castiel and then turned to face him while walking backwards. Her clothing choices struck him as odd, looking more like a female Indiana Jones than anything else. Perhaps it was a remnant of the previous night's party?

"Who are you, then?" Castiel asked, not realising how rude that could have come across as.

"A friend," she replied, a tinge of sadness colouring her tone, "nothing more." She returned to Castiel's side, hiding her face for a few moments.

Whether it was because he felt sorry for her, or he just found her incredibly charming (which she definitely was; her way of speaking exuded charisma and wit), Castiel begun talking to her. He learned that she had travelled the world many times over and seen a lot of different and beautiful places most people only dreamed of. She'd also gotten herself into some pretty tight spots too, most of them being at the hands of others who acted foolishly or without caution. From the way she spoke of Nate, it was clear that Chloe had had _something _of a relationship with him in the past, but as to how serious it was, Castiel could only guess. He'd wager, though, that she was more serious about it than Nate was; perhaps even in love with him.

"We're here," announced Becky, pointing over to a large car park.

At the far end was a massive store that looked nothing like a supermarket, and more like a super store. It was huge, and easily one of the biggest places people could shop that Dean had ever seen in his life. The group jogged the rest of the way, reaching the doors in a couple of minutes to find them locked tight. There was light coming from within, so they called and banged on the glass in order to get the attention of whoever had locked the door.

They were about to give up when a young man came running over. He looked to be in his mid-twenties, and was wearing a black top with three golden triangles stacked upon each other embroidered onto the front. He fumbled with the keys before finding the correct one and unlocked the door. Before he opened it all the way, however, he pointed a gun through the crack.

"Bites?" he asked. Everyone proved that they were okay, and after a few moments' hesitation, he let them inside. "I'm Cal. And this here is Johanna." He wrapped his arm around the hips of the girl beside him.

"Call me Jo," added the girl, smiling pleasantly.

With the introductions out of the way, Dean got right down to the nitty gritty. "Is there anyone else here?"

"Nope, just us," replied Jo. "If you're looking for answers, you've run out of luck. We know nothing."

"But now that there are more of us, we might be able to investigate. You look like you can handle yourselves out there." Cal spoke with such fervour that Dean suspected he already had a plan.

"What can we do?" Dean asked.

Jo looked to Cal who nodded at her. "There's a church nearby, and the man who runs it has always been a bit – weird – about Halloween, always issuing everyone cryptic warnings about the evil that walks the streets. But this year, he seemed more ardent in his beliefs, going so far as to claim that should we not be careful, many of us would die."

"My plan is that we take a few of us, we go to the church, and we see just how much the man knows. It could be nothing, but I think it's worth a shot."

"It's not much to go on, but…" Dean did not really approve of following up superstitious claims like this one, instead preferring to believe that there was some kind of scientific experiment to blame for everything that went wrong. "But it's all we have to go on." He couldn't just sit around, waiting it out. He had to do something, no matter how unorthodox it seemed.

"Who's with me?" Cal asked, stepping forward. "Half of us should stay behind." The last few words he spoke, with particular emphasis on the 'stay behind,' were directed at Jo. She snickered angrily, glaring at Cal for the suggestion.

"I'm going," Nate stated resolutely. "And Chloe, you're staying behind."

"Don't be ridiculous, Nate. I'm coming – you need all the help you can get if you're going to find Elena."

"Listen to me! You have to stay behind! I know I've dragged you into many crazy things, but… I dunno. I just… I feel it would be best if you stayed behind right now."

Dean knew what was coming, and after seeing the same thing acted out not once, but _twice, _before his eyes, he was ready for it. "Cas, you're not coming. Don't argue with me, you were wrong last time." He was still angry with Cas for being jealous, so he used that to his advantage.

"Not that it really matters," Bela said, cutting in awkwardly. "But I'll be staying here. You know, in _safety._"

"I-I'm coming!" added Becky, somewhat timidly.

A few moments of silence passed as everyone seemed to be deliberating internally over their options. Castiel opened his mouth in shock when Dean agreed to drag Becky along, but he was presented with no opportunity to argue the point.

The people who were going to the church lined up by the entrance to the supermarket. After hours, there were roller shutters that covered most of the glass windows at the front, providing moderate protection from any invading forces. They were to shut them all, securing everything else as much as possible in order to keep them safe.

Dean, armed with a pistol and a shotgun, was eagerly anticipating what was about to come. Despite the danger that they faced, he was fairly certain that Castiel would be safe for some time if he stayed put.

Nate found a baseball bat that he could use, and went down to the hardware section of the store to find something that he could add to his makeshift weapon to add to its deadliness. Several nails, each end pointing out ought to do the job.

Becky unscrewed the two blades of some gardening scissors, effectively equipping herself with two long and incredibly sharp daggers. Say what you want about the girl, but you had to give it to her – she was pretty tough under that strange exterior.

Cal had armed himself in a similar fashion to Dean, holding a silver pistol tightly in his hand. There was an intricate carving detailing the grip, something that Dean would have liked to take a closer look at. "You guys – and girl – ready?"

They all nodded in unison, and stepped outside.

"I feel like some kind of battle music would really suit this moment," Dean said, chuckling at his own joke. "Like in the old western films, where the hero goes out to battle and it's all slow motion."

Castiel heard Dean's little quip from inside, hitting his forehead with his palm in embarrassment.

Going through many back alleys and pathways meant that it took them nearly an hour to get there, but Cal insisted on going that way because there was less chance of a surprise. If they were out in the open, they ran the risk of becoming surrounded by the horde once more, and without a car it was something they could not risk. The group came across many sad and sometimes downright terrifying sights on their way, including a young child feasting on the still teary-eyed body of her mother. Still gripped tightly in the mother's hand was a small gun, and the bleeding holes in the back of the little girl were indication enough of what had happened.

"The church is just at the end of this road." Cal leaned in whispering to everyone.

"What if no-one's there?" Dean asked, only now considering that possibility. If that was true, then they'd have come all the way out here for nothing.

"The man we're looking for lives on the church grounds, and I imagine that he'd have wanted to remain as close to his god as possible in such trying times."

They walked down the street, sticking to the path as much as possible, until they reached the church. It was in the centre of a large yard, the green grass dotted with flowering bushes and tall trees. As for the building itself, it appeared quite old and looked to be one of the more traditional churches in the area. The rusted gates were just closed, not locked, providing easy entrance and, more importantly, an easy escape should they need it.

With the coast looking clear, Cal led them into the church grounds, opening the gates as quietly as possible. A gravel path paved the way to the church doors, each crunching step sounding loud and dangerous in the silence of their surroundings. It seemed that even the world was holding its breath as they approached, with not even so much as a light breeze moving the air.

"Is anyone there?" Cal called out, opening the church doors slightly. "Hell-" His words were cut off by a scream, that too, being replaced by a horrifying gurgling sound. The sounds of tearing flesh grew louder, followed by the thud of Cal's body as it hit the ground.

"Get back!" Dean shouted, stepping back himself.

The door slowly opened outwards, pushing Cal's headless body out onto the step as a zombie emerged. It was one of the most hideous things Dean had ever seen, its entire face looking as though it had been skinned alive. Still in its hand was Cal's head, being held tightly by fingers that were poking through his eye sockets.

The zombie growled, tossing the head aside as it got ready to charge at the people in front of it. Dean fired two shots directly at the beast's head, causing it to stand still long enough for Becky to get at it with her own attack.

She rammed one of the blades into its neck as hard as she could, not letting go until the silver point could be seen poking out the other side. With a scream, she wrenched down on the handle as hard as she could, successfully removing head from shoulders. The zombie fell to the ground, limbs twitching slightly as the last bits of life – or whatever you called it – left the body.

"Damn it, Cal," Dean muttered, walking over to his corpse.

"What are you doing?" Nate asked looking as though he were about to puke. Apparently, this much gore was more than he could handle.

"His gun… It looked special."

"So you're just going to take it for your own?" Becky asked, bewildered.

"I'm certainly not above that," Nate replied. "But I don't think I'd be able to get close enough without being sick."

"No, I am not going to take it for myself. I figured Jo would want it back. Are we going inside?"

It fell to Dean to lead the group from then on, him being the most adept at handling himself in a crazy situation like this. It even surprised himself how calm he was being about everything and one might get the impression that he had done this quite often in his time.

The church was empty and each step they took echoed loudly against the marble floor. If it weren't for the mess at the front of the church, it would have looked genuinely beautiful, even to Dean who usually could not even bear to talk of God, or angels, or anything to do with faith. Truth be told, he had lost that a long time ago.

At the far end where the sermon would usually be delivered was a heavy wooden door that had 'private' emblazoned on the front.

"It's not private anymore," Nate said with a smirk, pushing past Dean and gripping the handle.

Dean and Becky took point on either side of the door, and just as Nate was about to open it, Dean told him to wait. "Here, Becky. Take this." He handed her his pistol, realising that it would be safer for her if she had a gun. She nodded, and for a few seconds Dean wondered whether or not it was a good idea to have given it to her.

A quiet sob took him away from that thought, and because they could not be certain if it was coming from a person or not, they resumed the positions they had taken before.

Nate counted down, and on zero, he opened the door. He stepped inside, followed closely by Dean and Becky at his sides. They walked inwards, searching for the source of the sound.

"I'm over here," a man moaned, crawling out from beneath a bench. "Thank you for saving me." He stood up, clutching a wound on his shoulder. It was bleeding quite severely, a red circle forming on his thick sweater. "I am Father Lea."

"Dean. Is that a bite?" he asked, pointing with the gun.

Lea raised his hands, wincing at the pain in his shoulder. "No, no it's a cut, I got it when I was running from those… _things_."

"You're lying," Becky growled, stepping forward. "You've been bitten, haven't you?" She raised her gun to him, but it was obvious she could not pull the trigger. Her hands were shaking.

"Becky, calm down," Dean said gently. He knew that Lea was lying, he could see it in his eyes. But they had to let him think he was safe, because they needed answers and that bastard was the only one who could give them. "Lea, we believe you."

"Thank you," he said, lowering his arms. "We should-"

Something was banging on the door, trying to claw its way inside. The noises got louder, and eventually it became clear that there was more than just one of those things waiting for them outside.

"This way," Lea said, opening up a concealed door. "We can get to my house through here."

They followed him through a short tunnel of sorts that opened out into a small office. It was strewn with all sorts of biblical texts and knick-knacks, some of which looked very old and valuable.

"What's all that stuff?" Nate asked, sneaking a jewelled totem into his pocket while Lea was looking.

"Research… I've been trying to find a cure. A way to set things _right_."

"No luck, I take it," replied Nate, pocketing another shiny trinket as soon as he could.

Dean picked up a small, leather bound book with a strange insignia branded into the front. The paper inside felt odd, unlike anything he had ever held before. He ruffled through some of the pages, but found it to be written in an incredibly strange language. It was not Japanese or Chinese, that much Dean knew, but the symbols were equally intricate and some of them looked like downright artistry.

"Don't," Lea snatched the book from Dean's hands, "-touch that. It's very old and very valuable." He shoved it into his pocket, shooting Dean an accusatory glare. "And as far as I can tell, there is no way to reverse this."

"Right, well… we should probably get moving."Dean checked out in the hallway, and when the coast was clear he signalled for everyone else to follow.

"Dean, this guy's up to something," Becky whispered. "I just have this _feeling_ that he is at least partly responsible for what's going on." She leaned in closer, her mouth only an inch away from Dean's ear. "That book… the one you were holding, that Lea went all funny when you picked it up. The symbol, I recognise it from one of my history classes – now, depending on your beliefs, this might sound crazy, but it represents resurrection in many ancient cultures."

He looked at her sideways, unable to process what she was saying to him. "I dunno, Becky. Even given our current situation, that sounds a little far-fetched… _magic?_"

"What does?" interrupted Lea, escaping conversation with Nate. It was a blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment, but for a split second, Lea shot Becky a filthy glare, instantly making her feel unsafe.

A high pitched shriek warned them that they should get going, considering that they were most likely already surrounded, and getting out safely was going to be a bit of a stretch. Nate caught up with them, only now realising that his conversational partner had left him alone.

As they were walking out of the house, Nate resumed his questioning and got to the heart of what he wanted. "Lea, have you seen this woman?" he took out a picture from his wallet. Dean got a look at it in passing, and the woman in the photograph was wearing a white shirt, not entirely tucked in, and her hair was up in a messy bun. Her eyes were wide and kind, the corners crinkled in a smile. "Her name is Elena," Nate continued.

"Yes, I think I have. She's the reporter, isn't she?"

Nate practically jumped for joy, his face lighting up as he realised that he was closer to finding her. "Yeah, so you've seen her?"

"If I recall correctly… she was heading to a bar, to find someone. Come to think of it, I'm pretty sure she mentioned you."

"She's gone to Sully's… Of course. Listen, Dean – thanks for everything. As soon as we get back, Chloe and I are going to split."

"Okay, we'll cross that bridge when we get to it. But for now, we have to figure out how we're getting back." Dean indicated the mass of shuffling, groaning monsters that was blocking their path. "Do you have a car?"

Lea nodded, taking them through to the garage. They passed through a thin corridor that was lined with portraits of Lea's family. On a small desk that was pressed up against the wall, a photo of a young girl with her hair in pigtails sat proudly. The nub of a black candle was sitting beside it, the flame flickering in the last moments of its life.

"Who's this?" Becky asked, picking up the frame.

"Put that down. _Now._" Lea growled, shooting Becky the same glare from earlier.

Panicked, she dropped it down on the desk and it fell forward. She quickly put it back in an upright position, but not before glancing at the back – scrawled on the back, in what she hoped to be red ink, was the same symbol from the front of Lea's book. Something was definitely up, but she didn't know what just yet.

"I'll drive," said Dean, snatching the keys from Lea's hands. When it looked like Lea was about to object, Dean stopped. "Wouldn't want you to hurt your arm any more than it already is."

They got into the car, Becky sitting shotgun and as far away from Lea as possible. It was a big risk putting him in the car with them, especially if he was bitten like they suspected he was. But they couldn't just take his car and leave him either.

Dean put the car in gear, preparing himself and the car for takeoff as soon as the garage door opened. He pressed the button and watched as the garage door rose up; it's lack of speed increasing the tension and his desire to get out of there. "Hold on guys," he muttered, beginning his internal countdown. As soon as he hit zero, he smashed his foot down onto the accelerator. The door was not fully open yet, the roof the car clipping the metal frame on their way out.

The driveway and the road was quite bumpy, and not because of uneven ground. Thank God for four wheel drives, Dean muttered under his breath. The windscreen wipers chugged through the mess, and coupled with Becky's direction, they were able to get back relatively safely.

When they were close enough, Dean spotted Castiel waiting anxiously at the front of the shop. He couldn't be certain but Dean got the impression that Cas had been waiting for him in that spot all day. As he stepped out of the car, he looked around and made sure it was safe before running over to the storefront.

"Dean, are you hurt?" asked Castiel, looking all over for any sign of injury.

"I'm fine, Cas." Dean smiled reassuringly.

Nate called Chloe over, and told her what he had learnt. Their conversation was carried out in a hushed excitement, with Chloe lighting up when she saw what had been stolen from Lea's house. The two thieves (or fortune hunters, as they preferred to be called) thanked everyone and bode them farewell.

"Maybe I'll see you around," Nate said to Dean. "We travel a lot." They shook hands, and Nate walked out the door with Chloe behind him.

What strange people, Dean thought. Out of nowhere, his pocket vibrated. At first, he thought it was just his imagination, but when it happened again, he yanked it out so fast that it nearly broke in two. There were several messages, all of them from Sam.

[Dean, I've tried calling but can't get through. Stop ignoring me, I need your help]

[Still can't get through to you, so you're either having too much fun with Castiel, or something's up]

[I'm worried now Dean. Haven't heard anything from you]

Dean hastily typed out a reply, fearing that his reception would drop once more. [im okay, r u safe?]

Seconds later, Sam sent a reply. [Yes. Hanging with Ruby at the moment]

Light-headedness overwhelmed Dean; his heart swelling with relief at finding out his brother was perfectly fine. A huge grin split his face, and he looked up to tell Castiel, but something else took his attention.

That was when he saw Jo. She walked over to him, each step slow and deliberate. There was no mistaking the hope fading in her eyes, and when Dean produced Cal's gun, she fell to the ground in stunned silence. Even Bela, whom Dean had initially thought to have a low capacity for emotions, trembled slightly at the grief she was witnessing.

Nothing could be done to assuage Jo from her sadness, so Bela just sat silently beside her and act as a comforting presence.

"I'll go get some tissues," Becky said, her words hitching in the back of her throat.

Bela nodded, and Becky walked off.

"Wh-what happened?" Jo asked, finally looking up.

As carefully as he could, Dean retraced their steps and recounted what had happened, being extra careful in sparing her from the full description. "…and that's how he saved my life," Dean finished. A few embellishments on the story here and there wouldn't hurt.

"Not to be pushy, or anything, but where are those tissues? We kinda need them over here," said Bela, still supporting Jo.

"Tissues cannot be that hard to find." Castiel looked around, Becky having seemingly vanished into thin air.

"Maybe she's lost?" Bela offered.

They called out for her, but there was no answer. Instead, the sound of crashing shelves echoed from the other side of the store. Dean leapt to action, running down the aisles with his eyes peeled for the young girl. He was toward the far end of the shop when he spotted her, bound and gagged while being dragged into the storage room.

"Let her go!" Dean shouted, pulling out his pistol and aiming it at the two of them. He was unable to get a clear shot at Lea, unable to risk injuring Becky.

Luckily, Castiel had followed Dean along the opposite side, and just before Lea could take her away, he was tackled to the ground.

Becky scrambled to her feet and ran to Dean, who removed her bindings and told her to stay with Bela.

"What do you think you're doing?" Dean shouted, aiming his gun directly at Lea's chest.

"Don't you see Dean?" Lea stammered, getting up onto his knees. "It's the only way!"

It had become obvious that this man had lost his sanity. He was babbling in some strange tongue, all the while praying to Dean and rocking back and forth.

"It is the only way… I have to see my daughter again! I'm sorry about this…"

"What are you-?"

Lea pulled a concealed dagger from his sleeve and jabbed it into Castiel's leg. He pulled it out just as quickly, scrambling over to Castiel who had fallen to the floor in pain. He straddled Castiel, pinning him to the ground."I'm sorry," he said, raising the dagger high above his head.

"No you fucking don't," Dean growled, pulling the trigger and launching two bullets right into Lea's back. He slumped to the ground, coughing and choking on the blood that was filling his lungs. Dean ran over and kicked the body aside, crouching beside Castiel who was clutching his leg.

"Wait here, I'm going to get you something. Just hold on, okay?" Dean stammered, panic hanging off every word.

"Y-yeah," Castiel replied, putting pressure on his wound. Despite his best efforts, the blood still flowed freely.

While he was waiting for Dean to return, Castiel spared a glance at Lea. He slid over to him, removing that old book from the dead man's pocket. Becky seemed to know a little bit about it, so he took it in case she could find a way to stop this. After he had slipped it into his own pocket, Castiel noticed that Lea was mumbling very faintly.

The man was saying something strange, rushing through his words as if trying to get out a last, desperate message. "I'll never see my daughter again…" he coughed, blood spurting out with each shake. "But it has to be this way." His strange babbling swelled, increasing in volume until it ended suddenly. A few seconds later, his body began to shake violently.

"Dean?" Castiel called. "Dean!" He tried to get to his feet and as far away as he could, but his leg was too weak.

Lea cracked and popped, his limbs twisting in horrifying directions as his body changed shape. The skin stretched until it tore open, revealing a writing mass of muscle beneath. The sounds that were coming from him were inhuman, evoking a sense of pure dread to anyone within earshot. Some of the muscles tore open, revealing disgusting appendages that appeared to have grown rapidly.

"Cas, are you – what the fuck!?" Dean rounded the corner, a set of bandages in his hands. He ran to Castiel, looping himself into his armpits and dragging him to safety. He applied the first aid as fast and as best he could, before helping Castiel to his feet.

"Thank you Dean," he groaned, throwing himself over Dean's shoulder. They moved as quickly as they could to where Bela, Becky and Jo were still sitting, looking very confused and extremely concerned.

Dean peered around the corner, his gun held tightly in his grip. Lea, or whatever it was, was nowhere to be seen, meaning Dean had time to think about what to do. He looked around for anything that they could use when his gaze landed on the shelves of alcohol behind the counter. Instinctively, he crawled over, rolling past the gap in cover, and examined the supply. Unfortunately only very few of them were flammable enough for what he intended to do with them.

"I'll be right back," he whispered, ducking away and out of sight.

While Dean was doing his thing, Castiel and the others had no choice but to wait. The pain of waiting increased rapidly when it became clear that Lea had finished his horrifying transformation, roaring incredibly and knocking down several shelves as it stretched itself out.

"Hurry up Dean," Bela muttered, willing him to move faster. She picked up the shotgun Dean had left behind, arming it and readying herself for what was to come.

Lea emerged from the rows of baking goods, scuttling around on all fours. It was a truly horrifying thing to behold, one that almost made Bela retch. She had to reassure herself that she was stronger than this, that she wasn't weak. Even if she didn't convince herself of that, she did manage to get her mind off the disgusting appearance of the thing before her.

It was getting closer now, almost dangerously close. She looked at the shotgun, double-checking that it was good to go. "Come on you ugly fucker," Bela snarled. Once it was in range, she blasted two rounds into the head of the beast, sending it reeling backwards.

She stepped forward, shooting it again, and again, and then once more. She kept at it until she had run out of bullets, but still – it wasn't enough. Bela backed up, shouting for Dean. "I could use a little help here!"

Out of nowhere, a bottle flew in the direction of Lea and erupted into flame when it made contact. It poured out all over him, bubbling and hissing as the contents of the bottle ignited the skin. Another one came, hitting Lea squarely in (what was left of) his head.

"I'm all out!" Dean shouted, coming to Bela's side.

The Lea-monster moved feebly, struggling to get to its feet.

"The damned thing _still _hasn't had enough!" Becky came running, holding a large metal shovel, raised and ready to strike. When in range, she jumped, throwing the shovel downward at the same time. It pierced the neck and cut right through, lopping the head off in one strike.

Dean and Bela exchanged bewildered looks, shocked to see just how well Becky could handle herself. Once again, Dean found himself re-evaluating his perceptions of the girl, making room for 'stay on her good side,' and 'this girl is bad-ass.'

After taking a few moments to collect themselves, they returned to Jo and Castiel who were sitting silently beside each other. They slumped down too, and for some time, they sat there together in tired silence.

"Becky," Castiel muttered. "Can you… can you read this?" He tossed her the book from his pocket.

She picked it up and eyed it curiously, as if hoping to glean the information right from the cover. "I think so… I'll be able to piece together some of it, no doubt about that."

"Does it say anything about stopping this?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "Can't say. I'll need some time."

In the hour that passed as Becky decoded the ancient text, the group ate what they could, drank what they needed, and spent the rest of the time sitting around, waiting for the verdict.

Everyone looked up expectantly when Becky started talking again. "It's something about a ritual used to bring back the dead. It… and if I'm reading this correctly… requires some kind of blood sacrifice. It also says that the ritual has to be completed within a certain amount of time, or else it will fail. What I think, and as crazy as this sounds, bear with me, is that Lea used the entire town as a part of his ritual. That's why everyone is walking around like they are: not alive, but not quite dead. The ritual is incomplete – I think that's why he needed us."

"Well, he's dead. Now what do we do?" Dean asked.

"Survive."

"For how long?"

Becky flicked over a page, studying it intently. "Until Dawn."

* * *

-Thirty-first of October, 8:17pm-

It was deemed prudent to do a count of all the weapons they had, whether it was guns and ammunition (of which they had very little), knives and other blades, and things like the Molotov cocktails that Dean had made earlier. He found the necessary ingredients to make a couple more, deciding to give one to Castiel and keep the other for himself.

Bela had a lot of experience with firearms, so she was the one who got to keep the guns, save for Jo who still held onto the gun that Cal had left behind. The grieving woman still had not said a word, but nodded to acknowledge what she was told.

"Dean, there are more and more zombies filling up the square… I don't know how long it'll be before they notice us." Castiel observed from the window, keeping a watchful eye over the crowd of death that was amassing outside.

"We'll be fine as long as they don't get too close." Dean turned on his heel, going to help Becky with what she was doing.

"Dean?" Castiel called again.

"Yes, Cas?"

"They're too close."

* * *

-Thirty-first of October, 9:47pm-

Glass crashed as the first of the zombies broke their way through. They started coming in fast, falling over each other and crawling into the store floor. There were too many to even _consider_ fighting off, so they had no choice but to retreat into the store room at the back of the store.

"Shit, what're we going to do now?" Bela asked. "There goes our way out."

"Not necessarily," Becky replied. "There's the loading bay, and if we're lucky there might still be a truck there, ready for the taking."

"Well… how do we get there?"

"Easy. Its right across the… on second thought… it's not so easy. It's across the other side of the store. And right now, there's a sea of zombies out there."

Everyone looked around, hoping that one of them would come up with a solution. It was too risky to stay put, and the loading bay was their best option at a way out of there.

"I'll do it," Jo piped up. "I'll… lead them away."

Dean looked at her, puzzled. "How will you get back to us, though? It's too risky, and I-"

"I don't care. About anything, anymore. I'm doing this."

Dean was ready to reply 'nonsense,' but Bela jumped in ahead of him with something else. "You're incredibly brave for doing this."

"No, I'm not. Cal was. If I do this… I might see him again. Please, get ready… I want to do this."

* * *

-Thirty-first of October, 10:03pm-

Jo looked at her fate solemnly. There were hundreds of people out there, each of them having completely separate lives up until the events that had ravaged the town. Now, their stories were never going to be finished, all of them being pulled into one blanket of terror. She gripped the Molotov in her hand as tight as she could, and took a deep breath. "Are you ready?" she asked, turning to face the people she was sacrificing herself for. The people that Cal had sacrificed himself for.

They nodded in unison, and followed her out. The plan was to run along the back wall as quickly as possible, while Jo attacked the horde from the front, thus providing them with the precious few seconds they needed to escape.

And distract them she did. She hurled the first Molotov out as far as she could, hoping to land it on several zombies who were all bunched together. Most of them went down in the first few seconds, but she had gotten the attention of every other zombie in the immediate area. She ran ahead, throwing another explosive out in front.

That was the last they saw of Jo, the young woman slipping from their vision as they passed into the loading bay. It was completely empty, and just like Becky had hinted at, there was a truck sitting there, ready for them to drive. The front door was ajar; the handle smeared with blood in a way that suggested the driver was attacked by the passenger. Where ever they were, it was not in the truck. The four of them clambered inside, with Becky taking up place at the steering wheel. Apparently, driving heavy vehicles was something she had in her repertoire of skills as well.

"Just keep driving, get us as far from here as possible and don't stop unless it's safe." Dean commanded Becky in the same tone he used when he needed to get Sam to do something.

She nodded, then started up the truck.

Within minutes, Dean had fallen asleep against Castiel's shoulder, earning a smile from Bela who was beginning to see the two men as one of her favourite couples. Even with the grime all over their clothing and faces, they were still incredibly cute together.

-First of November, 5:58am-

"Wake up, Dean." Castiel gently roused the man from his sleep, enjoying the way his eyes fluttered open.

"Wha..?"

"It's dawn."

The sun was rising overhead, casting a brilliant light over everything in its reach. They were pulling into the place they had intended to stay at, picking up their things on the way out of town.

When they went inside, both Dean and Castiel expected to see the rotting corpse of the thing that had attacked them the day before. Instead, there was a faint trace of ash where her body would have been, marking the white carpet in a strange pattern. They were thankful for this, having seen enough gore to last them a lifetime. They got in and out as quickly as possible, loading their things into the back of the truck and securing them tightly.

"One of you is going to have to direct me."

Dean looked at Castiel, noticing that he appeared to be in great need of the rest, so he volunteered for the job. "You can sleep, Cas."

Castiel nodded, scooting into the space at Dean's side. He fell asleep faster than Dean did, practically collapsing into Dean's lap.

Dean must've fallen asleep on several occasions, because he could not remember nearly half of the drive home. It seemed to have passed in the blink of an eye, and he could not be more relieved when he spotted his house. Castiel woke naturally, sitting up slowly and wiping away the small speck of drool that had formed on his mouth.

"Goodbye, Becky." Castiel exited the vehicle, moving around to the back and unloading his things.

Dean turned to her, and smiled. "Thank you, you really pulled through for us. You're a tough girl."

"It was nothing," she replied nonchalantly.

"And Becky?"

"Yeah?" she replied.

"You're welcome to visit any time you want."

After saying goodbye to Bela, Dean hopped out of the car and grabbed his stuff from the back. He rang the doorbell several times before a bleary eyed Sam appeared.

He rubbed at his eyes, clearing them of morning grogginess. "Dude, you guys look like you've been through hell!" Sam said, taking in the poor condition of his brother's clothing.

"It's a long story," replied Castiel.

"I'll tell you about it tomorrow." Dean trudged his way over to the stairs body racked with tiredness. Castiel was following behind, wanting nothing more than to sleep everything off.

The two of them slid into the bed, breath heavy with exhaustion. They lay side by side, staring at the ceiling, silently going over recent events in their heads, wondering what they did to have gotten in such a mess.

"Cas?" Dean mumbled, sleepiness taking hold.

It was a few seconds before he gained a response. "Yes, Dean?"

"You were right." He snuggled in closer, until he could feel Castiel against him.

"About what in particular?"

"Gabriel's parties. Never again will I go to one of them."

* * *

**A/N: Well there you have it! My extremely late Halloween Special, I hope you enjoyed it! I've never written anything like that, so if you could please leave a review that would be fantastic! A hearty hug and an even heartier thank you to all the people who've favorited or followed both myself and this story, it means a lot :)**

**Guest: Yayy! Thanks for reading and leaving a review, hope you enjoyed it :)  
**

**dualities: Yes, Mean Girls references for you dualities. You go dualities! Thanks for reading!  
**

**mhmellie: I hope you liked part two, it was a bit of an experiment, and it was pretty fun to write! Thanks for taking the time to leave a review :)  
**

**Maknatuna:**** Good good. Hot is what I was going for. This is excellent news. Perhaps we will see something like that in the near future? Thanks!**

**It might be a while before this gets updated, I'm moving over the next few days and might not have time to write much... a few drabbles of sorts might slip in, but bear with me!**

**Live long and prosper~~**


	11. Castiel & Dean – Day Eleven

**A/N: I feel like they've been through enough crazy stuff lately, so this Chapter is pretty light and fluffy, Enjoy :) Also, just to clear up any confusion, the events in the Halloween chapter did happen, but they're not going to have any lasting effects per se. For example, Dean's car is still destroyed, and the whole thing with Bela and Cas getting jealous did happen, but the zombies and horror will never be mentioned again. So it did occur, but there're no repercussions for having survived a zombie apocalypse. PM if you need more info!**_  
_

* * *

_Castiel – Day Eleven, in which he goes on a date._

A sudden shift in the man beside him roused Castiel from his sleep. He opened his eyes just a crack, watching silently as Dean slid his legs out of the bed and putting himself in an upright position. Castiel's gaze rolled over the perfect back of the other man, taking in every little detail and committing them to memory. Eventually, his eyes fell to the recesses in Dean's back just above his round and perfectly sculpted behind, barely able to suppress his desire to _touch him._ Castiel rolled over, closing his eyes once more, falling asleep to the sounds of Dean getting dressed.

It was almost noon when Castiel awoke once more. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he rolled out of bed and walked over to the bathroom for a quick shower. A small sigh of pleasure escaped Castiel's mouth as the steamy water rolled down his back, pooling at his feet and surrounding them with warmth. He grabbed Dean's apple-scented shampoo and lathered up his scalp, inhaling deeply and filling his nostrils with the sweet air.

Soon enough, his thoughts had wandered to Dean and what he was doing. The house seemed very quiet, without the usual sounds of Dean going about his business downstairs. After washing his body with more pleasant smelling soaps (Dean seemed to have a lot of them), he stepped out of the shower and towelled himself dry. When he went to dress himself, however, he realised that he did not have any clean clothes for him to wear. Truth be told, he did not expect to be staying with the Winchesters for this long, but they had all become quite accustomed to it very quickly. It was nice waking up next to Dean every morning, and he lamented the day where he'd eventually move back into his house. Perhaps Sam and Dean would like to stay with him for a change.

"Thank you, Dean," Castiel muttered to himself, finding a clean shirt from Dean's things. It was a bit loose-fitting on him, but it was the best he had right now. There was a band that Castiel was unfamiliar with printed on the front, and he hoped that Dean wouldn't mind him wearing this.

After fixing the bed very fleetingly, Castiel walked downstairs. It was still very quiet, and when he found that Dean was not in the house or anywhere near it, he started to panic. The front and back doors were locked, though, which eased his mind just a bit. Then, he spotted the small note taped to the front door.

_Cas, gone out. Meet me at that new diner that opened up in town, Sam says they've got really great pie. Come at 11.30._

He stuffed the note into his pocket and pulled out his phone to check the time. It was already ten minutes past twelve, so Castiel hurried out the door and down the street. The walk to the diner was not too long, Dean's house being quite close to the local shopping strip. On his way over, he had to pass Wings. He hoped that the extended period of closure wouldn't cause them to lose much business, but he intended to go back in sometime in the next few days.

The front of the shop was comprised entirely from streak-free glass, and looking inside it was clear that the furnishings were quite modern and stylish. There was a very specific color scheme too, with everything being varying shades of red, black and white. The doors parted to allow Castiel in. He stood at the entrance for a few seconds, scanning the room for Dean. He was sitting in a far corner, at a small booth that had raised partitions on either side.

The look of joy that lit up Dean's face when he spotted Castiel walking over was unmistakable. When their eyes met, it was hard for Castiel not to feel the same. He let out a dreamy breath of air, sighing as he admired the brilliant sparkle of Dean's eyes.

"Hello, Dean."

"Cas. You're late." Dean delivered that line with a deadpan expression, exuding seriousness.

"Hm…" Castiel is silent for a moment, thinking up an adequate response. A smirk forms as he is proud of himself for coming up with something so witty. "Well, as I do recall, I am a Queen." He had been for the perfect moment to get back at Dean for what he had said. . "And, as we all know, a Queen is never late. Everyone else is simply early." He slid into the booth, sitting directly opposite Dean.

"True," Dean replied with a laugh. He patted Castiel's knee under the tabletop, his touch sending a jolt of electricity up his leg. "You hungry?"

Castiel nodded. "Quite."

Dean signalled for a waitress, who strode over with a pleasant grin upon her face.

Her eyes, Castiel noticed, alluded to an easiness and sense of calm, like she was truly _happy. _The moment she came to their table, her eyes landed squarely on Castiel, and he returned the look with equal fervour.

For a few moments, they regarded each other in silence until Dean cleared his throat, calling the two of them back to the here and now. The girl, who according to the badge on her chest was Alysson, shook her head and a smile returned to her face.

"What can I get you two?" She looked at the two of them expectantly.

"What kinda pies you got?" Dean asked. Castiel noted the sound of irritation in his voice, uncertain where it had come from.

"We got pecan, blueberry, raspberry, blackberry, apple, lemon meringue, cherry, key lime and custard available today."

While Dean decided what he was to get, Castiel wondered on how many times she had recited that list today. Probably enough times to make you hate pie.

"Eh, what the hell. I'll take some of the apple, please."

"…Sure" She said, scribbling down his order. "And for you?"

"I'd like some of that vanilla sponge cake I spotted on the way in, please."

"Okay, coming right up!" Alysson walked away, a spring in every step that she took.

"I… she looks familiar," Castiel muttered.

Something was whispered under Dean's breath, but Castiel didn't hear it clearly.

"So, Dean. Not that I mind, but… what is the purpose of this?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well," Castiel began, praying that he'd not come across offensively. "What are we doing here?"

"Oh, you mean on a date? Well-"

"This is a date?" Castiel's expression must have caught Dean off-guard, because he stopped speaking halfway through his sentence.

"Oh… uh, well no – I guess it could be, but after what happened at the party and stuff, I just _assumed, _and well, _you know._"

A massive smile split Castiel's face, Dean's sudden awkwardness becoming incredibly cute. The fondness he felt for the other man could not be expressed in words, the happiness immeasurable. "This is a date, then."

Seconds later, Alysson returned carrying a tray with what they ordered placed neatly on top, setting it down in front of the two of them. She pulled out her notepad again, asking if they'd like drinks after an apology for forgetting to do so earlier.

They ordered a couple of coffees (something Castiel rarely did, as he often found that they rarely lived up to the standard that he upheld). A couple of minutes later she brought them back, and much to Castiel's surprise they were quite well made. She spun on her heel and turned to walk away, but something held her in place. "Do I know you from somewhere?" she said to Castiel.

"I do not know," Castiel replied, frowning at his cup. "But you seem quite familiar."

The two of them regarded each other in silence, earning an incredible eye-roll from Dean who just sat and waited. Suddenly, Alysson's expression returned to her usual smile.

"Weird. Oh well. If you need anything, give me a yell!"

Once she was safely out of hearing distance, Dean leaned in close to Castiel. "You know, _Cas, _you're really not supposed to be _eye-fucking _other people when you're on a date."

"What? I wasn't…"

Dean laughed. "Relax, Cas! I'm kidding. But seriously, we're never coming back here again."

"Look who's jealous now," Castiel quipped.

They sat and ate their sweets, exchanging light conversation around mouthfuls of food. Thankfully, the pie, sponge cake and coffees were all delicious, leaving the two of them quite satisfied and happy with themselves. Dean suggested that the two of them take a walk in the nearby park, considering it was a nice day with very few clouds floating overhead. It seemed like a good idea, so Castiel went along with it. After all, if they didn't they'd probably have gone home and sat inside, wasting the sunshine.

"Let's go." They walked to the counter where they were to pay, and Dean purposefully avoided getting anywhere _near _Alysson, instead choosing to be served by a somewhat disgruntled looking young man. He reached into his pocket to retrieve his wallet, but Castiel had his own ready.

"For the last time, Dean, I can pay. You literally cannot. Spend that money on things you need." It didn't make sense why Dean wanted to pay for everything, even though he knew life would be easier for him if he spent money on other, more necessary things. If this was something to do with honour or anything like that, Castiel was going to have to give Dean a stern talking to about how ridiculous he was.

By the time they had left the diner, it was quite late in the afternoon, with the warm sun floating high in the sky. A gentle breeze blew through the streets, dancing on the skin before rustling through the leaves on the many trees that lined the paths. Castiel led Dean to the park, the two of them ambling about, not wanting to rush their time together.

Neither Castiel nor Dean spoke very much as they walked together, both of them being simply happy enjoying each other's company. Castiel often caught Dean making shy, awkward sideways glances, averting his eyes as quickly as possible when he realised that he had been caught. He noticed other things about Dean too. Very rarely did Dean's hands leave his pockets, and except for when he was looking at Castiel, his eyes stayed glued to the footpath. His legs had an outward curve, making each of his steps look slightly awkward. It was incredibly cute, Castiel had to admit.

The two of them came to a halt atop a small stone bridge, a small fresh creek flowing beneath and filling the air with calming sounds. Dean turned to face Castiel, a look of sheer sincerity upon his face. "So, Cas. Any ideas on what we're going to do about your Leviathan problem?"

"Unfortunately… no. I do not know what we can do, and I definitely do not want to see how far the Leviathans are willing to go in order to obtain what they want. They've lost everything… I fear that they will stop at nothing."

"Well… when you were _in there_ with the lot of them, did you notice anything that could help us? Anything that could, I dunno, disperse them?"

Now that Dean had mentioned it, perhaps there was something. If they could just convince even half of them to rebel against the head of the company (it scared Castiel how much LeviCorp operated like the _Cosa Nostra_), then perhaps there would not be enough of them to carry out their plans. "It might be possible. If we could get through to some of them, and show them that they needn't be working against their wishes…"

"Maybe there's an easier way to do this," Dean began. He stepped in closer to Castiel, looking around to make sure that they were not being eavesdropped upon. "You mentioned the Mafia, and they're all run by the boss, right? What if there's a way to just get rid of their boss? You said Anna's friend hacked into some pretty serious shit, so what if she knows something else that can help us take down that guy?"

"Dick Roman, you mean? I don't know if that is a good idea… he is incredibly scary."

Dean smiled, a grin so confident and reassuring, it immediately had the desired effect on Castiel. "Remember what I said? Nothings gonna harm you. Not while I'm around. But, if you don't mind me asking, what exactly are your ties to LeviCorp? I know you've said they're your cousins, but surely they can't _all _be related to you?"

"You are correct. Only a very small few are actually related by blood. You see, a long time ago… Even back then, when this happened, it was considered incredibly young, my father sired a child with some woman – who, to this day, we still haven't met – and that child is Dick Roman. His children, who're technically my nieces and nephews, run the company alongside him, and we've never gotten along. Though, my father did call Roman a mistake, so…"

"Still. They should know not to listen to everything their father says… I used to, and look how that turned out." Dean's look of anguish did not go unnoticed by Castiel, who took that as his cue to return the favour of comfort.

He gave Dean his best, most loving smile, filling it with as much warmth as he could muster. He wanted Dean to feel safe and sound beside him, and to know that no matter what happened, no harm would befall him. "Are you okay? Is it something you want to talk about?"

"Aw, nah. Another time, Cas."

A familiar tune that called back to Castiel's childhood rung out through the trees, his ears pricking up at the sound as he followed it to its source. Just a short way down the path, an ice cream truck came to a halt beside a small bench that was accompanied by a lamppost. There was a shade covering the chair, and to Castiel it looked like the perfect place to come and spend a winter's afternoon, watching the snow fall. His head quickly filled with a picturesque image of Dean standing out there as the flakes fell on top of his head, lightly dusting him in snow that sparkled just like his emerald eyes. He made a mental note to come down here again when it snowed.

"Uh, Cas?" Dean said, nudging him.

"Huh?" He shook his head, clearing his thoughts.

"What flavour ice-cream would you like?" The kindly looking old lady smiled knowingly at the two of them. "Perhaps you can try this cone? It is said to bring good luck to couples."

It hadn't really dawned onto Castiel yet, but both he and Dean were, in fact, since earlier that day, a _couple. _Castiel wondered how obvious they were. Not that he minded, but was it really that obvious that they were more than friends? And what did that mean for Sam, who had probably perceived a deeper meaning to their relationship a long time ago?

"Sure, we'll take it. We need all the help we can get. Surprise us on the flavours, though," Dean replied with a wink.

The old woman handed the frozen treats over, holding her palm out for payment. Castiel rummaged about in his pocket for the correct change, placing it gently into her hand and adding a pleasant 'thank you.' Curiously, the ice cream truck had disappeared when they sat down again, without serving anyone else. It seemed that she had fulfilled her quota of lucky ice cream for the day.

"So, do we eat half at a time, or…?" Dean asked.

"Well, the cone has two handles, and two scoops, so I assume we can eat it together. Then again, there're no laws dictating the specifics of ice-cream consumption, so I'd say we're safe whichever way we choose."

Dean grabbed the held the other half of the cone and bit into the side, winking at Castiel as he went down on it. Whether he was suggesting something or not, Castiel couldn't tell – he had never really been good at picking up things like that.

It was incredibly difficult to eat it at the same time. Eventually, they just gave up and broke the cone in two, eating their halves comfortably and with minimal mess. Castiel popped the end of the shell into his mouth, but a stray drop of melted ice-cream spilled down his lip and onto his chin. In an awkward moment of stillness, Dean reached up and wiped the ice-cream away with the sleeve of his jacket. His fingers lingered on Castiel's cheek, dragging along the stubble that had set in over the past few days.

Slowly, he leaned in, closing the distance between the two of them. Their lips touched gently, feeling warm and soft as they collided against each other. He leaned in further, pushing Castiel down onto the bench they were sitting on and increasing the heat behind the kiss. The only thing keeping their clothes on right now was the fact that they were out in public, which was _barely _enough to warrant caution.

"Cas," Dean crooned. "I… I love you."

Those words had a strange effect on Castiel. He panicked, but rather than pull away, he raised his lips to Dean's for more. If Dean had expected a response, that thought was washed away by the intensity burning between the two of them. Deep in the back of his mind, he knew that he loved Dean in return, but he was afraid to admit it, both to himself and to Dean. The last time he had come clean about his feelings, it hadn't turned out too well and it almost ruined him.

"Dean," Castiel replied, his voice dripping with desire. "I thought you didn't like chick-flick moments?"

"Ahh, shaddup!" Dean laughed, kissing Castiel once more before sitting up. "C'mon, let's head back. I don't wanna leave Sam by himself for too long."

* * *

**A/N: Hope you enjoyed that chapter! Many thanks to all of you who've taken the time to read and review, as well as those who've favorited both me and/or the story. You're all amazing :)**

**shellydiann: Thank you so much :) Hope you liked this chapter!  
**

**DragonAngelRaven: Ahhhhhh love you too! Hahaha hope it wasn't too spooky for ya!  
**

**Nyah Rhys: Thank you! That is such a compliment, I always worry about my expressiveness, and it means a lot to hear that, so thank you :D  
**

**XClaire BearX [Review for Ch1]: What can I say, Cas just finds Dean _so damn sexy. _He couldn't help himself!**

**sonreirbot: Aw that's okay! Gabriel's costume was the easiest to pick haha, I thought it was pretty neat :) Glad to hear you're all okay, too. I'm totally blushing rn haha, your review is so sweet :D also, did you notice something/someone?  
**

**a-whisper-in-time [Review for Ch5]: Dean does seem like the type, doesn't he? Castiel didn't have any issues with it, either. **

**Maknatuna: Even though I was literally just talking to you, I still feel the need to respond to the review! Thanks! Writing action is what I'm more used to, so... yeah.  
**

** .Charade: Yep! That totally just happened, but like I said above: it doesn't really affect them that much, apart from the loss of Dean's car and the progression of their relationship. Thanks for reading! Glad you enjoyed it :D  
**

**So there's no internet in my new house, but there is a large hot tub where I'll be sitting a lot. I'll be writing these, but they might not be uploaded for a while unless I can access a computer somewhere else, which shouldn't be too hard, so we'll see. **

**Thank you, friends! **


End file.
